This Is Why
by Breakdown6
Summary: Ashley, Spencer and Aiden all happen to go to the same college, but have no clue about the other prior to this.  Their paths cross and the ultimate triangle builds. Character traits are a bit different than the actual show.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, so. I've been missing writing for a while now, and just got caught up on some of my favorites on this site which inspired me to start writing again. If any of you read my story years ago called Fighting, I'm going to start working on that one too, but wanted to start a new one as well. I will admit it may start slow but things will pick up, promise. And feel free to get on my case if I'm not updating fast enough. As always * I don't own anything but the added characters***

The beginning of Freshman year at Northern Illinois University for Ashley and Alex couldn't have come any faster than it did. They spent the entire summer planning out their attack on the college and what parties they would go to. Finally, the kind of school where they could show up absurdly hung over and not get into trouble for it. They also managed to get a few of their general classes together. Ashley was going to school for Communications and Alex was looking to attend their highly competitive business school. This is what they've waited 18 years for, freedom.

Spencer grew up only thirty minutes away from NIU and had all the opportunity in the world to go to prestigious schools, but her family was important to her and NIU offered her a scholarship for swimming which she couldn't turn down. As an added bonus her girlfriend, Carmen also got into NIU and requested they share a dorm room. However, in the first week of school Spencer found out the women's swimming program had been eliminated due to lack of funding. She was now stuck for at least a semester at this place, wishing she chose another school

The first few weeks of school Spencer and Carmen met a lot of people and went to nearly every party on greek row. Drinking became the only thing that could calm Spencer. Carmen started getting out of hand and very flirtatious with members of Sigma Epsilon fraternity which pushed Spencer to drown her sorrows any way she possibly could. The two of them were constantly fighting. Their sex life hadn't faltered but it was happening for far different reasons than blissful love. The girls' relationship was on a high speed track to destruction.

Ashley's dorm life wasn't shaping up to be very promising either, Alex was in a different building and she was assigned to room with the most annoying girl she'd ever encountered. Macie was a short, too skinny brunette with a screechy voice and had an obsession with cooking ramen. The one thing that always made Ashley gag and fear going to her dorm room after classes. Macie had a boyfriend but Ashley could see this girl had slut written all over her. She spent most of her time at Alex's dorm hanging out with him and all of the guys on his floor. Alex became her go to guy and her default make out buddy, even when Alex was dating someone. She also made out with a few guys on Alex's floor during weekend parties where they got a little too buzzed. Luckily for her, none of them really took it beyond what it was. Alex knew something was different about Ashley, but wasn't about to pass up the chance to make out with her. Ashley was admittedly a make out whore and quite enjoyed the excitement she felt by turning on these guys. She prided herself on never having sex with any guys, drawing the line when it got too far.

October came quickly and it was time for their first college homecoming experience. The school had week long plans for the students. Ashley and Alex decided they would throw a party too. It's this party that turned everything upside down. And where our story truly begins.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, Ash! What took you so long?" Richie, one of Ashley's former make outs-turned friend tossed a beer her way.

"The slut's boyfriend was over so I had to wait until they... finished." She shuddered in disgust. Macie's boyfriend was cute, but the thought of anyone messing around with her made her sick.

"Gotcha, thanks for that image now too. Appreciate it." Ashley smiles, twisting the cap off her beer and chugging the whole thing.

"Damn girl, trying to catch up?"

"Don't ask dude." Alex understands exactly what happened, it's not the first time.

"Ash, meet Aiden. He's in a few of my classes and he lives in the other wing I decided to invite him based on his musical tastes."

"Ha, you mean he has everything under the sun and then some?" Ashley laughs knowing Alex is similar in that his computer is full of music she's never heard of and some that she has.

"He seems cool. I'll have to investigate." Ashley smirks.

Ashley finds out that her and Aiden share a class together and that he's also going to school for Communications.

"Ash, we're low on soda, here's five bucks can you run up to the vending machine?"

"Yes sir, want to come with Aiden?" The two of them head to the vending machine and grab a few twenty ounce pepsi's out of the machine. As they get back to Alex's floor they see the RA's in the doorway of their party room.

"And this is the part where we walk on the other side of the hallway and go hang out in the lounge to talk like we aren't a part of this party." Luckily for them the dorms were split down the middle by the bathrooms so they could sneak by without being suspicious. The RA's come by the lounge and one of them recognizes Ashley from a class, which distracts them enough to not ask about the party down the hall.

"How do you do that?" Aiden asks, trying to catch his breath from the inner panic attack he was having.

"I don't know, talk to them, act as if I haven't been drinking, it helps that you are here so I'm not talking to myself." She smiles and when they hear the RA's leave they head back to the party.

"What the fuck happened?"

"Dumbass Lucas down the hall left the fucking door open right before the RA's came down, we're all on probation." Alex was fuming and everyone in the room was awkwardly quiet.

"Well, i guess this party is over. See you guys later?"

In the months following Ashley started spending a lot of time with Aiden. He gave her a lot of new music to listen to, and they realized they had a lot in common. Aiden tried really hard to get Ashley to be his girlfriend, but she never allowed it to happen, distancing herself when she noticed he was getting too clingy.

"Alex I don't know what to do with this kid. He's a great guy but holy crap is he annoying! He doesn't know how to just be friends with a girl without wanting it to become something super sexual."

"Have you messed around with him?"

"Nothing different than usual." They laugh at the simplicity of her statement knowing that she's not exactly innocent.

"Well, here's your problem, Me, Richie and the boys down here know how you work and are cool with it, Aiden never really seemed like a genius in that department. No worries you'll be alright."

"I guess, i kind of blew up at him and we aren't really talking right now."

"What'd you say to him?" He laughs, hot tempered Ashley is never one to mess with.

"Well, basically I told him he's a dick and needs to chill out. Things aren't going to happen the way he wants and if he wants to be friends with me he better start understanding that. You know... in not so many, um, nice words"

"Nice work! I'm starting to really dislike that kid anyway. So, winter break is coming, you sticking around? I might have some parties at my parents house while they're gone if you're interested."

"Naw, I have to be home with the family." Ashley rolls her eyes in annoyance.

"Hit me up when you get back and we'll party it up."


	3. Chapter 3

b Now before I get this started, let me say to the one reviewer so far. Ashley doesn't like boys so much as she doesn't really realize her true feelings for girls, which will all come to light in due time. I'm not trying to change the story in this. Technically if you think about it, the show has Ashley liking Aiden, then back to Spencer.. so really this isn't too far fetched b

Winter break wasn't anything out of the ordinary for anyone. Family and friends hanging out. Ashley was forced to spend time with her family who had come in from around the country for the holidays.

Alex spent his time partying with his friends, calling Ashley every time begging her to ditch her family and party with him. Many of those calls Ashley deliberately sent to voicemail so she would have something to cheer her up when home became too boring. Something about a group of guys singing Journey and Justin Beiber all in one night's worth of voicemail messages was something she certainly wasn't erasing.

Spencer and Carmen broke up right before winter break. Carmen accused Spencer of cheating and when Spencer threw the accusation and proof back in her face Carmen decided to throw the ring Spencer gave her down the dorm hallway. Before leaving for break Carmen put in a request for a room change which Spencer gladly agreed to when the RA confronted her about it.

School started back up again in the middle of January. Alex and Ashley had both failed math the first semester and had both ended up in the same class again, along with Aiden. This coincidence forced Ashley and Aiden to make amends and be friends again. Aiden babbled on about some new girl he had met in another class. He never said who it was but Alex and Ashley didn't care as long as he was acting normal again.

Spencer had come back to NIU for another semester. Her grades were no longer enough for her to transfer to another school and while she could still attend NIU, she decided to make an effort to do whatever it took to get out of Illinois.

The first week back Spencer met Aiden in a science class and they hit it off immediately. Spencer was on the rebound from Carmen and Aiden was desperate enough that she couldn't pass up the chance for something mindless. She knew she wasn't really into guys but in the moment, she didn't care. They only fooled around twice before she had to put a stop to Aiden the same way Ashley did. The only difference is Spencer was a bit nicer about it and they became best friends.

Ashley spent more time at Alex's than the previous semester. Apparently Spencer and Carmen weren't the only ones that broke up over break. Macie and her boyfriend also broke up, but as expected Macie didn't take long before she started dating one of the football players. Ashley wasn't able to sleep whenever he slept over. This guy snored louder than a trucker and his semi combined. Even with her iPod turned up as loud as it goes she could still clearly hear him. Luckily for her Alex's roommate dropped out and he still hadn't been assigned a new roommate so she had an open bed whenever she needed it.

About half way through the semester Alex threw a party and invited over a few girls who were openly bisexual. At the sight of the girls making out something in Ashley changed. She was as hooked as the other guys in the room, her eyes glued to the interaction between them. Was this what she'd been missing all this time? She'd seen this before on television shows and it always hit something inside, but she never thought much about it, but now that it's right in front of her face there was no way she could ignore it.

"Ash, you alright?" Alex nudges her out of her trance.

"We need to talk." She pulls him into an adjacent room. "I don't know what it is but I really want in on what just happened in there. I've never felt like this before, this curious about what it would be like to make out with another girl. This can't be normal!" Ashley starts pacing around the room trying to piece together her feelings.

She'd just recently met a very attractive soccer player and things had the potential to be something real. He was exactly what she thought she'd always wanted, Sweet, adorable, had great taste in music and definitely not bad on the eyes without a shirt. Athletes had always been a weakness for her and this guy was the epitome of athletic. But when he refused to label them as anything official she blew up stating his reasoning was bullshit. So what if he lived 25 minutes away and they would only see each other on weekends? Big deal? What does that have to do with anything?

"Ashley, in all the time I've known you, relationships with you and guys have never lasted longer than 8 months and haven't gotten overly intimate. You ALWAYS break it off when it gets too serious. I know you have commitment issues but I think there's something more to this than you're willing to realize."

Ashley sat down on the bed beside her. This was more than she could handle in one night. She told everyone she wasn't feeling well and went back to her dorm. To her luck her roommate was out for the night so Ashley was able to pass out hard enough to not hear them come in early the next morning.

Ashley decided to ignore what happened with the girls at the party, chalking it up to shear curiosity and nothing more than that. She instead focused on where she was going to live after the semester ended and she no longer was required to live in the dorms. She'd also dropped out of her math class, knowing she wasn't going to pass it no matter how hard she tried, business calculus was never her forte.

One month before the end of the quarter Ashley was invited by some friends to move into an apartment just off campus with them. She'd only hung out with the group of people a few times, but they all seemed like good people. Emily had quickly become her closest girl friend at school based on a similar interests. She'd stopped hanging out with Alex and his group of guys as much but still hung out with Aiden every so often. Their relationship had become very brother/sisterly which after a while they realized was why they fought so much. Aiden still hadn't told Ashley about the girl he had met earlier in the semester but Ashley didn't think anything of it and never pressed the matter.

When summer break came, Ashley had developed a deep friendship with one of the guys Emily had introduced her to who was living with her boyfriend in the same complex they'd be living in. He was literally like Ashley's male twin, the movies they liked the music they listened everything about their friendship was different than anyone she'd ever met. After a freshman year of hell, Ashley finally saw a silver lining in coming to this school. Now she just needed to survive the summer working for her parents friends business.


	4. Chapter 4

"Mom, is it really necessary for me to be working in this place all summer? It's not like I'm getting anything valuable out of it." Ashley was forced to work reception at a warehouse of auto parts. The only bonus she could find to this was she wasn't the only receptionist so when things around the actual office got slow she could sneak back to the warehouse and help stock the parts on the shelves. Sure she came home a little dirty to the dislike of her mother but if she had stayed in the office all day she would've died from boredom. Ashley wasn't a big car person but she knew a thing or two so shelving parts was actually a little bit fun.

"What do you mean what do you get out of it? Maybe if you'd stay in the office instead of going into that dirty warehouse doing a job respectable women shouldn't be doing you would realize what there is to learn." Christine was all about prestige and made sure while Ashley was around she acted like the lady Christine tried to bring her up as. "I don't know why you insist on undermining my authority."

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was YOUR warehouse. Funny I thought it was Ken's name on the door I report to every morning. And I know you wouldn't step foot near the place so it really must be Ken's wife Marti I see hanging around. If they let me help, then I don't see a problem. I can always go stay at Alex's if my "unladylike" behavior bothers you that much."

"I thought you weren't hanging out with that boy anymore." Christine blames Alex for the rebellion Ashley developed at a young age. She hoped Alex wouldn't get into college and his bad behavior would land him behind bars but so when that didn't happen she could every chance she could to keep Ashley away from him, hence the summer jobs.

"Yeah well, thick and thin. We may not hang out as much as we used to but we have an understanding. Wait, how do you know we aren't hanging out as much? Do you have a spy at this school now?"

"Don't be absurd Ashley, he's a," her face turns to disgust, "a bagger at the grocery store. I of course was polite as always and he made some snide remark about not seeing you in a while. The nerve of that boy, accusing me because you finally grew out of his friendship." Ashley rolled her eyes and walked towards her room.

"Spencer, get your brother out of here and go help him clean his room." Paula was Spencer's step mother, sort of. Spencer's biological mother left when she was two leaving her father to raise her with her grandmother. Arthur had just started as a social worker when Spencer was born. When Spencer was seven they moved to Illinois and Arthur started working his way up to finally have his own center which is now one of the best centers in the Chicago area. Paula came into the picture when Spencer started High School and Glen was born a year after. Despite Paula's best efforts Spencer saw that Paula just wanted to separate her from her father. Her father was oblivious to this and had plans to marry her.

"Come on little man lets see what kind of damage we can do." Spencer picked up her brother throwing him over her shoulder.

"Sack potato! Sack Potato!" Glen starts chanting and beating his fists on Spencer's back.

"Alright killer, you seem to have created quite a disaster in here. I thought we made a deal?" Glen's pounding stops and Spencer slides him down to rest on her hip.

"Sowwy 'pencer. I twied but um, the toys didn't wanna go bye bye." Spencer laughs at his attempt for an excuse.

"I've taught you well, but we still need to get this cleaned up." Spencer thought for a second, "I bet you can't pick up more toys than me in one minute." Glen's eyes widened in excitement at the game.

"Ready... Set..." Glen started running. "Hey, I don't think so shorty I didn't say the magic word, drop everything in your hands and get back here." Glen dropped what he had already grabbed and slowly walked back towards Spencer. "Ready... Set...GO!" Glen ran back to the same toys he had just dropped and quickly put them where they belonged. Spencer grabbed a few things but made sure to take her time and watch her little brother speed wildly around the room, his blonde curls bouncing and hitting him in the nose. When he picked up the last toy he could find and put it back he turned to Spencer who was still holding two teddy bears in her hands.

"I win, you didn't even put your toys away." He shook his head at his older sister.

"Oops, I guess you did win, nice job! As a reward you and I will watch any two movies you want before I have to go back to school." She expected Glen to be excited, having the chance to pick out his own movie was something rarely allowed to him. Usually his mother put in the first thing she found and made him watch it while she did god knows what elsewhere in the house. Instead, Glen's eyes began to fill and Spencer could see the pink filling his cheeks.

"Don't leave me. Why can't I go wif you? I'll pick up my toys every day I promise!" Spencer's heart broke instantly. She knew that things weren't the greatest for her little brother, but felt completely helpless to do anything. While Spencer was away at school Paula had started cheating on Arthur with several different guys and started neglecting Glen. Arthur did the best he could, Spencer too, but Paula was adamant at keeping the two of them at a distance from HER son.

Spencer heard the front door slam and knew that Paula had left for the evening leaving Spencer to take care of her brother until her dad got home.

"Alright buddy, no sad faces. It's Glen time, whatever you want to do we will do but I still have to leave tonight. Look at me though," she waited until his eyes met hers, "Everything is going to be okay, I am always here. You're my little man and nothing will change that."

"Ohana?" The little boy sniffled.

"Yeah, Ohana." Spencer did her best impression of Stitch. Lilo and Stitch held so much more meaning to those two than anyone could possibly imagine.

In the time before Spencer left they played three games of go fish, in which Glen won two games and they finished their time watching Tom and Jerry cartoons that Spencer got Glen hooked to.

The summer was beyond bittersweet for Spencer, she knew this might be the last time she'd get to really spend with her little brother. She'd overheard Paula talking to someone about taking Glen and moving away. She'd wanted to say something all summer but knew that causing a fight was only going to make matters worse for Glen. By the end of summer Spencer applied to work at an electronics store, if she wasn't going to be spending her time swimming she'd might as well immerse herself in something else she enjoyed, overworking. At least two jobs since she was sixteen, she'd quit her jobs before starting college under the thought that she'd be preoccupied with swimming and when that didn't happen her preoccupation became partying. Spending the summer with Glen forced her back into reality and she knew if she'd ever get the chance to take him away from Paula she'd have to really start to get her life together.

Unlike most of Spencer's long term plans, this one was going to veer off into a place she'd never planned on.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Alright, again, sorry about the speeding through an entire year. things will kind of start to slow down now. But if i start getting too speedy with my timing let me know.**

**Also, sorry for the massive delay, I have been caught up in school and having to get ready for graduation in June.**

***You think I would've learned to really push myself after I got my first degree, turns out, I didn't haha. Begin panic mode* This is my temporary escape!**

Summer was coming to an end and students were beginning to take over the campus for another year. Parties were already being planned for the first week and every home football game.

"Ashley! I'm glad you are here. Okay, so, I hope you don't mind but we kind of picked our rooms out already." Emily was a very organized person. In a general comparison she was the Monica-type from Friends. Emily showed Ashley the room she was left with.

"Honestly, I would've picked this room anyway." The girl's apartment was on the third floor of the complex. It was open facing the parking lot, so they didn't have to worry about maneuvering around walls while moving things up the stairs. Ashley's room was in the front of the apartment with a view of the parking lot and the open walkway. The back of the apartment only had a view of a really torn up field and another apartment complex. Emily said she made her decision based on where the sun would come up in the morning and choose the opposite side of the apartment. "Leave it to you to get all intelligent in your choice of room." They laughed and both noticed Emily's parents hauling a few of Ashley's things inside.

"Whoa, I guess we should start moving stuff in huh?" Emily and Ashley walked down to the truck Ashley had rented and started grabbing odds and ends. After an hour of moving, thanks to Emily's parents and boyfriend, they got everything into Ashley's room. "Well, Trey and I are going to get some food if you want to join us, moving worked up quite the appetite!"

"Thanks but I think I'm going to try and get this all put away, or at least out of the middle of the room." Ashley stood in the only empty area of the room looking overwhelmed by the amount of stuff she was planning on cramming into her room.

When Emily and Trey left Ashley first set up her stereo and started blaring her My Chemical Romance cd. Dancing around her room she didn't notice the person standing in the door way thoroughly amused. She turned to dig through a box when she nearly fell over the pieces of her bed noticing the person.

"BROTHER! First, I'm glad you are here, and secondly NEVER do that to me again! Not cool dude." Tim, her new found twin came walking in and hugged her apologizing for his sneakiness.

"So, glad I'm here huh? Does this have anything to do with the fact that you're bed isn't put together? Or did you just miss me over the summer?" Ashley bowed her head in shame.

"Um, both?" She smiled innocently. "I mean I can put the bed together but it's hard to do by myself, and this mattress is a beast to lift all alone. But if you aren't manly enough, or strong enough to do this then..."

Tim puffed up his chest and pretended to be one of those muscle guys on ESPN's World's Strongest Man Competitions.

"Don't worry Ash, I got this. I'll have your bed together before you even empty that box over there." He pointed to a medium sized box that said _**CLOTHES **_on it.

Ashley, being the competitive one, grabbed the box and stood in her closet.

"Ready, Set-" "WAIT! Tools, did you bring tools for this? 'Cuz if you didn't this isn't fair, I can't put it together with brain power." Ashley walked behind Tim and pulled out a shoe box, digging through it she found the two tools that he would need.

"Okay, Ready?" Tim nodded. "GO!" Ashley tore open the box and dumped the contents on the floor. "Done." Tim looked at her with a smirk.

"You know what I meant jerkface, hang that up or I'll get Emily in here and she'll Monica you until this room is in one functioning piece. Trust me, it's not pretty, Trey did that to me last year when my closet was a disaster. As amusing as Emily is about this, it's not fun with all of it is directed towards you. Ashley laughed at her internal image of the situation but then her face dropped when she put herself in Tim's shoes. "Exactly, get back to work!" Tim got up and put in another CD to start the plan with new music. "Vampire weekend should get you pumped, and now you have to put away two boxes before I'm done."

Ashley ended up finishing before Tim did and helped him finish screwing in a few of the pieces. They lifted the mattress and slid it onto the bed, both of them falling onto it afterwards.

"Ugh, moving sucks, things need to unpack themselves. Bonus if they can clean themselves too."

"This isn't beauty and the beast. Even if you sing "Be Our Guest," nothing happens, I tried it when I was younger. I was a sad panda that day."

Ashley banged on her window as she saw Emily walk by signaling her to come to her room when she got in.

"Hey guys! Looking pretty good in here. I see you dragged Tim into your unpack fest. OH, by the way, Trey and I were talking when we were eating and decided we are having a party downstairs since you guys are unpacked already. He's picking up alcohol later so if you guys want something specific let him know soon. Invite anyone else you want as well. I'm going to be in my room getting ready then head downstairs to make some food for tonight, I'll let you know when I leave Ash in case you're still stuck in the unpacking chaos." Ashley thanked her and got up from the bed to finish putting the rest of her clothes away and deciding what to wear to the party. Tim busied himself pulling out Ashley's DVDs and looking through them.

"We need to seriously have a movie marathon night, and you REALLY need to increase your dvd collection, this is depressing."

"Shut up and just unpack them. Also, this box over here is the TV stand I was responsible for buying for the apartment collection, can you take it out the living room and see if Em wants us to put it together now or do it tomorrow?" Tim did as he was told. Ashley managed to get all of her clothes out and put away in their proper places, not the floor. She started thinking about what she'd want to drink and if she felt like inviting anyone else over to the party. She was about to call Aiden and Alex when she realized that she'd never really spent time with her new friends and really wanted to take the time to get to know them and allow them to get to know her. They all had lived in the same dorm and knew each other very well, Ashley was the outcast of the group. She made a mental note to call both boys tomorrow and see what their schedules were for the semester.

"Hey Miss Space-a-lot, I put together the tv thing and Emily said she was going to head down in thirty minutes to start making pizzas and Trey is going to head out soon too so... he'll probably get vodka and beer, but if you want something else, or some kind of mixer, I'll buy."

"Well, I can't really think of anything off the top of my head. Cranberry juice with vodka sounds good. But then again so does beer, I'm not too picky yet, open to options. I guess this means I should jump in the shower and wash this grossness off of me. See you in an hour?" Tim nodded and left to take a shower too and go with Trey to get alcohol.

AT PARTY

"Alright everyone, I'm here now, we can start partying!" Ashley announced, walking through the door. She was glad she was already on a "knock first, then enter" basis. As she walked in the smell of pizza made her stomach growl.

"Ash, I can hear your stomach over the tv, what did you eat today?"

"Um, half a bagel and a bag of M&M's this morning. That's about it." Emily gave her a very motherly look. They hadn't known each other for very long but Emily picked up on Ashley's eating habits, or lack thereof.

"Here, you can be the taste tester for my pizzas." Emily handed Ashley a plate with a few different squares of pizza.

"Mmmm mis is soo good." Ashley spoke with a full mouth, devouring the pieces on the plate while Emily watched, amused by her animalistic behavior. "Sorry," She swallowed. "These are all really good, well except the sausage one, but I've always hated the taste of it, though this isn't terrible."

"Well, thanks Ash. You look fancy this evening." Ashley was wearing dark jeans and a black and white tank top, she brought along a red zip up hoodie in case they went outside and she got cold. Her hair was up in a ponytail with the ends slightly curled.

"Fancy? Jeans and a tank top? Thanks Emily. So, who else is coming?" Emily named off a few people Ashley met at a party before the summer, and a few other people she didn't know that were friends of Trey and Tim's. "Cool, well I'm going to go bug Tim, holler if you need any help, I'm not much of a cook but I can cut pizza pretty well." Ashley found a spot on the couch next to Tim who was deep in a game of Madden against Trey. Yells, screams and a plethora of expletives erupted when Tim's player scored a touchdown in the final seconds of the game. Trey tossed his controller to the side and walked in the kitchen to help Emily with the final touches on the food.

"Wanna play?" Tim grabbed the discarded controller and handed it to Ashley, starting a new game, Bears vs Eagles, Ashley being the Eagles. "Not who I expected you would pick but alright."

"One of my ex-boyfriends in high school loved the Eagles, so by default I had to watch their games, and kind of became a fan, besides, I have this version too so I know who the good players are." They started their game and by half time most of the other people had shown up and were now watching the surprisingly close game between the two. Music had been turned on somewhere between first and second quarter but neither Ashley or Tim heard it, they were glued to the screens.

Every one decided to place shot bets on the game, loser had to take a shot of the winner's choice at the end of the game and anytime they said to for an hour afterwards. This applied to anyone who took sides on the game as well.

The game ended 38-24 in favor of Tim who chose Jack Daniels as his shot of choice. Ashley grabbed a 20oz of Coke from the fridge and held it tightly in her hand for the next hour always prepared with her chaser whenever Tim called "Loser Shot." Luckily, Tim was pretty lenient with her, although some of the "fans" took shots on their own to increase their buzz.

The night went on with several drinking games and video games being played. Ashley ended up getting pretty drunk and Tim told her to sleep in his bed instead of trying to walk up the stairs to her apartment but Ashley managed to drag herself upstairs anyway. She still hadn't made her bed, but found one of the sheets she'd unpacked and pulled it over her before passing out around 4 A.M.

"Dude, you got it bad don't you." Trey said to Tim as they sat in the living room each having one last beer for the night.

"No, we're just friends man. We have a lot in common, and it's good to know that there's someone like that out there. No offense to you guys but, obviously our tastes in certain things are different. Ashley though, she's by far the coolest girl I've ever met."

"You should ask her out, take her to that movie you keep talking about. Last kiss or whatever it is with that guy from Scrubs. How cool would it be if we, as roommates, were dating roommates. I already have Emily, now you just have to get Ashley. It can't be that hard, I've seen the way you two interact, it's crazy."

"Trey, you're drunk, go to bed." Tim sat in his seat pondering the idea of him and Ashley. It didn't seem like such a bad thing. Maybe Trey was right, maybe he would try to work up the courage to ask her out. Even if Ashley was way out of his league, ridiculously attractive and could most likely get any guy she wanted.

"Dammit Trey!" Tim said to himself as he trudged to his room hoping to sleep off the inner battle but still not writing off the possibility of being with Ashley.


	6. Chapter 6

Spencer returned to NIU and was lucky enough to have her own dorm room this year. After her and her dad got everything moved in she sat on her bed looking at a picture of her and Glen that was taken a few weeks prior when she took him fishing. He was holding his fishing pole with a faded Snoopy life jacket on and a big toothy grin. She was kneeling beside him with her arms wrapped around his small frame. As a tear escaped her eyes, a knock on her door pulled her back to reality.

"Hey Aiden, what's going on?"

"I guess you don't need help moving stuff huh?" She'd completely forgot that she called him on her way asking for help. She enlisted a few of her floor mates to help her carry everything up with her dad.

"Yeah sorry, I had a lot of help when I got here. Want to go get some food?" She forced a smile, putting the picture on her desk as she grabbed her keys and they walked down to the massive food court in the lobby of the dorms.

"I don't know how you got lucky to be in the only dorms with a good food court AND living by yourself." Aiden stayed in the same place he'd been in the year before.

"Well, you know, I'm just lucky like that I guess. So what are you up to this weekend before all the bullshit starts up again?" She grabbed a tray and started walking towards the pizza vendor.

"Um, my friend Ashley invited me to go see a movie later, I told her I'd call her back. You called first so you know, first come first serve." He laughed at his own joke while Spencer just looked at him unamused. "Right, so. If you want to come though you can. You guys should really meet, you both know about each other, granted I don't think she knows your name, but she knows of you."

"Yeah, and for a while you never shut up about her." Spencer rolled her eyes remembering the crazy time that Aiden went through dealing with this Ashley girl. "I think I'll pass, let you two hang out. Maybe next time. What are your classes this sem?"

"Ugh, some Communications class, Intro to Anthropology, Bowling, and English 101."

"Bowling? Really Aiden?"

"Hey, I needed to take some kind of gym class and I already have my own bowling ball. This way I can take you down whenever we go bowling."

"Whatever you say. I have Swimming, Sociology, English 101 and Health."

"Do you have Monday Wednesday Friday 11am English with Mrs. Franklin?" Aiden asked, hopeful that he'd know someone in the one class he'd probably have the most trouble with.

"Yeah, it should be interesting, I hate English." _Dammit_, Aiden thought. "Hey, there's some people from my floor. I'll introduce you." Spencer did her introductions while Aiden just sat, smile forced and nodding to each person he'd met. When they'd finished Aiden excused himself and told Spencer he'd call her later.

"Hey Ash, still want to see that movie?" Aiden called Spencer on his way back to his dorm. "Alright, well do you want to walk to the theater or drive? -Alright, yeah I can do that. See you in a few." Aiden hurried back to his room, changed his shirt and walked over to Ashley's apartment.

"Aiden! What's up buddy! How was your summer? What's new?"

"Summer was alright, went to a few concerts which was pretty awesome, found a bunch of new bands and artists that i'll have to give you later. Other than that not much else, I was just over at Spencer's before I came here. I thought I was supposed to help her move stuff, but apparently her and the beastly group of girls on her floor did it for me so we just grabbed some food." Ashley looked at him confused.

"Spencer? Her?"

"Oh, shit, yeah. The girl that I kind of dated that I always talk about, that's Spencer."

"Ooooohhh, you were always so freaking vague about this girl, never using a first name. Glad to know she has a name now. That's certainly new over the summer." She smiled and threw on her black converse then pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail and started walking towards the door.

"OH, i guess that means we're leaving" Aiden laughed, following behind her.

They decided to walk to the theater and debated over what movie to see. Aiden wanted to see the new horror film which Ashley was very much against. She wanted to see an action film. She knew romantic comedies weren't exactly Aiden's forte movie and definitely didn't want to give him the wrong idea by going to a chick flick. By the time they'd gotten there Ashley made a deal with Aiden. If they went to see her movie, she would buy his ticket and a popcorn or drink of his choice. _Get him through his stomach_. The one piece of advice her mom gave her growing up, she never used to for its intended purpose, usually for bribery like this occasion. Always worked.

During the credits Aiden and Ashley shared their schedules and realized they'd have Communications together. Much to Aiden's luck, Ashley was also very good at English and willing to help him if he needed it. She managed to test out of the intro English classes but decided to minor in English too.

After the movie they decided to head to a nearby smoothie shop. They sat down waiting for their order to finish when a girl walked into the shop and started walking toward their table.

"Hey, I thought that was you." She smacked Aiden on the back of the head.

_I already like this girl_ Ashley thought. _She picks on him as bad as I do._

"You're big head was kind of a big give away, plus I was in the parking lot when you two walked in." The girl turned towards Ashley and smiled.

"Well, it's about time you to met. Ashley, Spencer. Spencer, Ashley. I'm pretty sure you both know of each other." Aiden stood up to get the smoothies and Spencer took no time sliding into Aiden's vacant seat.

"So, you're Ashley. I have heard a lot about you." Ashley was mesmerized by Spencer. Her tan skin, long dirty blonde hair and goofy smile was nothing like she'd ever seen before. If she only thought she was gay before, this girl certainly pushed her over the fence. "You're shy aren't you? That or you don't like me"

"Wait who doesn't like you?" Aiden pulled a chair up to the table.

"Ashley, she hasn't really said anything. I don't think she likes me."

Ashley snapped out of her daze, noticing the other two staring at her.

"Huh?"

"Do you like me?" _Whoa, what? How does she know? Am I that obvious? Be cool Davies._

"Well, you seem cool, and you pick on Aiden like I do, so I'd say yeah." Spencer smiled satisfied with Ashley's response, but Ashley saw something else in Spencer's smirk. She turned towards Aiden who started talking about the movie they had just seen. Ashley downed her smoothie before everyone else, nervous drinking was always her downfall, especially when alcohol was involved, luckily the only one who knew that was Alex and he rarely took advantage of it.

"Well, should we get outta here? I need to get some stuff from the bookstore before classes start, you guys want to come?" Spencer stood, looking expectantly at Ashley and Aiden, her eyes darting between the two. Ashley felt her face flush everytime Spencer's eyes landed on her.

"Um, yeah let's go. This joker has been talking about needing a new hat to add to his collection or something lame like that." Ashley's humor defense mechanism kicked in and prevented her puke reflex from taking over. She hopped out of her seat, tossed her empty cup into the trash and followed the two out the door trying to stay behind the two during the walk.

"Hey, why are you behind us, get up here." Spencer grabbed Ashley's arm and linked them together. Ashley's heart pounded and the t-shirt she was wearing suddenly felt like a double parka. She took a deep breath and forced herself to relax as much as she could. This was something very new to Ashley. She'd had friends who would link arms with her but she always backed out of it, feeling weird about walking around like that. With Spencer it was terrifying, but she certainly didn't mind. To ease her own nervousness, she grabbed Aiden's arm and linked it with his.

"Are we off to see the wizard or something?"

"Ha, if we are, you're the scarecrow. I'm not really sure if you have a brain in the big head of yours." Aiden's jaw dropped as the two girls laughed hysterically.

"Yep, I definitely think I can keep you around Ash. That was pretty good."

"Well then who would you guys be?" Aiden asked. The girls thought for a moment and simultaneously their faces dropped. _ Lion,_ Ashley thought. If she was actually going to admit to being gay she'd definitely need courage to talk about it.

_Tin Man, _ Spencer thought. After her break up with Carmen, she swore she'd never get wrapped up in something serious for a long time.

"Whoa, I never thought this would be a mood killer. Good thing we're here already, you guys can help me pick out a hat." Spencer and Ashley looked at each other rolling their eyes. They started by helping Aiden which didn't take as long as they thought, he quickly found a white fitted hat that he insisted he needed. Spencer wandered through the supply store picking up a few notebooks and getting some of her text books. Ashley decided she would wait until she went to all of her classes before getting anything. She learned in the first year that some teachers don't actually use the books that are set aside for students in their class so she decided to not waste her money until she knew what she'd need.

They left the bookstore and started walking back towards the dorms. When they reached the mid point between Aiden and Spencer's dorms Aiden said his goodbyes and headed back leaving a now very nervous Ashley alone with Spencer.

"So, I guess I'll see you around? Now that we've actually met?" Ashley kept her eyes down as she spoke. "It was really nice meeting you though, finally."

"You too Ash. I hope you don't mind me calling you that." Ashley simply shook her head. "Good. I'll see you around." They went their separate ways and when Ashley got back to her apartment she immediately grabbed her laptop and started writing about her life changing day when an IM popped up on her screen.

**SpinSwim24: **Hey! Hope you don't mind I got your sn from Aiden.

Ashley panicked not sure if she should be mad at Aiden or happy that he inadvertently sparked something inside of her.

**RockStar8: **No it's cool I probably would've done the same thing.

**SpinSwim24:** Well, I hope you don't mind, but I had a feeling something was wrong today. If you ever need someone to talk to, you have my screen name now and 815-290-3454 is my cell if you ever want to hang out and talk or something. I'd like to think I'm a pretty good listener, but we can always just hang out.

**RockStar8: **Cool, thanks. and my number is 815-252-8609. You know, incase you ever need it too. :)

**SpinSwim24: **Cool. I hope I'm not being too forward.

**RockStar8:**No you're good. But I'm actually going to try to get some sleep. I have an 8am class tomorrow :(

**SpinSwim24:** Damn, that sucks. Well I'll talk to you later then :) Night

**RockStar8: **Night Spence. :)

Ashley closed her laptop and set it back on her desk. She forced her eyes closed and tried to sleep when her phone went off.

_Hey! I forgot to say. I'm really glad Aiden finally introduced us. You're definitely cooler than he described! And certainly cuter than I expected! ;) - Spence_

"Well, this should be interesting." Ashley bit her lip and smiled. Spencer was either naturally flirtatious, extremely nice or shamelessly flirting specifically to her. Ashley wanted to believe the last one, but having only met Spencer today, she chalked it up to the other two. Now she really did have to force herself to sleep, thinking of Spencer was going to create some pretty interesting dreams.


	7. Chapter 7

The first week back Ashley spent time with Emily, Trey and Tim. Her and Spencer talked online when they could but with their different schedules they weren't able to talk for long. Friday afternoon Ashley didn't have class so she made plans to hang out with Tim.

"Hey buddy, what's the plan for the afternoon?" Ashley slumped onto the couch next to Tim who was watching his DVDs of Scrubs Season 2. She laid her head onto this shoulder waiting for him to answer.

"Well, um, Last Kiss is playing at the cheap theater. I was thinking of seeing it, ya know, if you're interested. Otherwise we can get food or just chill here and watch Scrubs or a movie or something." Ashley couldn't help but find his demeanor adorable and endearing.

"Let's go see that movie and then we can come back and see if everyone else is back and wants to do something." Tim's smile widened as he hopped off the couch and grabbed his shoes.

"Okay, let's get out of here, it's hot, we should drive." Ashley tossed her keys at Tim, so he could drive her car. Tim paid for her ticket and candy much to her fighting. The movie was entertaining and very much their kind of movie. When they returned to the apartments Ashley noticed she'd received two texts from Spencer and their roommates were already planning the drinking party of the night.

_Hey Ashley, hope your day went alright, I walked past your English class today and you looked awfully bored. ;) _

_Hey Ash, Aiden and I are going bowling tomorrow night if you want to come._

Ashley quickly replied, put her phone in her pocket and went to the guys' apartment for another night of games and drinks.

Spencer was wondering why Ashley hadn't texted her back. In all of their conversations, nothing gave her the idea that anything was wrong. She sat in her room, with music playing loudly through her stereo. She'd just finished an attempt at her first english assignment, "write a three page bio on yourself focusing on one specific aspect of that most people may not know." As the song changed, she heard the sound of a text message.

_Hey sorry, was at a movie with a friend. My roommates and the guys are having a party tonight at our apartment if you want to come. And you're right, I was bored, first couple days of English class are always boring. You come tonight and I'll consider bowling tomorrow night ;)_

Spencer smiled, and turned on her iChat to check if Ashley was on.

**SpinSwim24:** So, when's the party? Do I need to bring any drinks? A few girls down the hall are 21 I can get whatever you want.

**RockStar8:** Hey! Come over anytime after 10. Um, We usually have everything, the guys are 21 too. But beer or Vodka is usually what we drink so, it's up to you.

**SpinSwim24: **Sounds good. I'll see what I can do.

**RockStar8:** So this means your coming? :) Can't wait. I have to go get ready. Stadium view apartments, #107. Call or text if you get lost or whatever. See ya Spence.

**SpinSwim24:** Later Ash :-)

Spencer looked at her digital clock, 7:45. She pounded on the adjacent wall.

"'Sup Spence? It's Friday, going out?" Her neighbor, Jessica was standing in the doorway. "Unless you were banging on my wall for some other reason?" Jessica smirked, her and Spencer had had a small fling a few times, knowing it was just a fling and there weren't any real feelings.

"Actually J, I need to ask a favor, can you get me some vodka? I'm going over to Ashley's to drink with her roommates or something." Jessica hugged Spencer tight.

"Yes, I can definitely do that. I'll be back in twenty minutes. But you have to give me all the details and I better meet her soon."

"J, she's just a friend." Jessica scoffed.

"Babe, I've seen you around friends. This girl is NOT just a friend. I know I have yet to meet her, but the way you are acting, it doesn't take much to notice." Jessica walked off towards the elevators leaving Spencer standing with her jaw open.

Ashley was finishing up getting ready, tearing apart her closet to find something to wear when Emily came in and burst out laughing.

"Sweetie? Are you okay? I've never seen you in such a mess before." Ashley stopped, looking at her feet in shame. She hadn't had time to explain Spencer to anyone and she had a feeling they were all trying to hook her up with Tim. She needed to think of something.

"Well, I'm just sick of wearing a hoodie everytime we hang out. I'll start looking the same in every picture, gotta mix it up." Emily smiled, grabbed an old band t-shirt and threw it at Ashley.

"Where this, it's vintage and definitely fits your rockstar persona. Bring a hoodie for if you get cold, but I really think the drinks will keep you warm." Emily started to walk away.

"Wait, I invited a friend over to meet up with us. She's a friend of Aiden, I hope you don't mind."

"As long as you didn't invite Aiden then I'm alright. Sorry, but that kid creeps me out and he's kind of a dud." Both girls laughed and Ashley assured her there would be no more Aiden showing up at their parties. "I'm headed down there in fifteen to start making pizza." Ashley nodded and changed her shirt.

Within fifteen minutes Emily and Ashley were downstairs enjoying the company of the guys and the rest of their friends. More people had been invited to this party and were slowly showing up. Tim and Ashley sat next to each other at the table, engrossed in a game of Circle of Death with a few of the other guests when there was a knock at the door. Emily, being the closest slid over and opened the door, her lips wrapped around the straw of her drink.

"Hi, I'm Emily! Come on in!"

"Um, is Ashley here?"

"Oh, you must be Spencer, yeah she's kind of in the middle of a game but come on in, what would you like to drink?" Spencer was taken back by Emily's bubbly personality.

"I brought vodka, do you have orange juice?"

"Ah, I think we are going to be great friends, O.J. is in the fridge, cups are on the counter over there, if you'd like a straw much like my own feel free. The game over there is probably almost over and then you can jump in or do whatever."

Emily danced away to take a seat in Trey's lap at the table. After making her drink Spencer walked out of the kitchen and towards the living room noticing Ashley leaning on the boy next to her. Frowning, she leaned against a nearby wall and watched. The boy, who she quickly found out was Tim, had put his arm around Ashley. She watched as Ashley's nose crinkled when she laughed, how she leaned against Tim and stole his soda chaser after quickly downing a shot of rum. Mostly she noticed how Tim looked at Ashley, clearly smitten with the girl and she couldn't blame him, but she also couldn't help the pain in her chest. She debated leaving when she heard her name.

"Spencer! You came!" Ashley leapt from her seat and wrapped her arms around her. Spencer now noticed how much more at ease Ashley became when she'd had a few drinks. "Come sit, we're about to play some other drinking game." Ashley pulled Spencer and pulled a chair up to the table for her. She introduced Spencer to the table and soon became wrapped in the new game.

"Babe, I think we may have been going about this wrong." Emily whispered into Trey's ear. He looked at her confused and but followed her eyes. The game was well underway by now and it was clear Ashley was starting to get more comfortable. She was trading her leaning and drink stealing between Tim and Spencer, but Emily saw a slight difference in the interactions. Spencer, who seemed to have a very high tolerance, was very cautious in her actions with Ashley, almost afraid, her eyes shifted around the group, periodically looking at Tim to check his responses. Tim on the other hand was basking in the attention, allowing Ashley to pull his hair and push him around. It was obvious to Emily, and probably only Emily, that two people were vying for Ashley's heart. She knew something was different about Ashley, but hadn't put the pieces together until this moment. "I think Ashley might be gay."

"That's impossible, look at the way she's acting with Tim. I've seen them together, she obviously likes him too." Trey was drunk, but not incoherent.

"I don't know Trey, I'll see what I can find out, but we may have to have a chat with Tim." Emily decided to let the night play out and see what sorts of things progressed. She also decided to cozy up to Spencer and find out her story, being the protective one of the group she had to make sure, if this thing was going to come to fruition, that Spencer was a good person.


	8. Chapter 8

**This one is a bit short, but I had to get it out of the way. Things might start picking up a bit more now, time wise. I have a few things in mind that will be happening, so bear with me. As always, review away or DM me if you want. Let me know what you think. Oh, and I don't know the S.O.N. people or own any rights to the show or anything. **

**I do however own the words and the personal story this is based upon**.

* * *

After the drinking game, Ashley decided she needed to take a break. Her face was bright red which was a very clear indication that she was well passed buzzed. Spencer had developed a very comfortable buzz during the game and was starting to loosen up around the group of people.

"Hey, let's go sit on the couch and just listen to music for a while." Ashley slurred, pulling Spencer towards the couch. Spencer laughed as she helped Ashley maneuver her way around a few chairs before falling on the couch, drink still in hand.

"Your friends seem cool." Ashley smiled her signature nose crinkling smile and nodded, taking a sip of her drink. "You know, with all of those shots you had, you should really drink water."

"Hey!" Emily bounced down next to Spencer, handing both girls bottles of water. "I figured you might need these, those games get pretty intense, which is why I tend to sit and sip for a while."

"You liar, you were completely... what's the word Trey used? Fashnukered? Fershnu- Fra- I don't know but you were gooooone last weekend." Ashley laughed, then concentrated on trying to figure out the word she'd been trying to say.

"Don't hurt yourself Ash." Spencer nudged Ashley who immediately smiled at the nickname. "Drink the water, trust me you'll thank me later." Ashley flipped the top off the water and started to empty the bottle.

"Whoa there speed racer, slow down." Spencer grabbed the bottle.

"Yeah Ash, you'll end up getting even more sick."

"We should play a game!" Ashley declared. "Do you want to play? I feel like playing football."

"Sweetie it's too cold outside to play football." Emily reasoned.

"Fine, then I'll play it E-lec-tronically." Ashley sounded out, trying to sound more sober than she was. "Want to play me Spencer?"

"You go ahead, I'll watch." Spencer smiled.

"Oh well, Tim, come play football with me!" Ashley yelled, but realized that Tim was already right next to her. "Oh, sorry. You game?" Tim nodded and grabbed the controller.

"Well, now that she's lost in this game for a while, what's your story?" Emily asked, setting her drink down on the nearby table.

"Um, what do you mean?" Spencer was nervous, she'd just met this girl and already she was getting hit with questions.

"I mean, what are you going to school for, how do you know Aiden, How'd you meet Ashley?" Emily picked her drink up, her tongue darting out to find her straw before she wrapped her lips around it and began drinking, her eyes still locked on Ashley.

"Well, I came here on a swimming scholarship, but that didn't work out, so I'm trying to do something with Kinesiology for now. I'm not really sure what I'm doing right now. I met Aiden in a class and I met Ashley through Aiden not too long ago."

"Hmm, very interesting. Ok, well that's all." Emily bounced up in her seat and started talking to Trey.

Spencer turned to look at Ashley. Her face was still pretty red, but she could tell in her eyes that the water, and the concentration of the game was beginning to wear off the alcohol effect, though not very quickly. She watched as Tim and Ashley tried distracting the other by swatting at their controllers. How her face would light up when her team would make a great play and how she would gloat until Tim's team retaliated and she became more determined. Her face would scrunch when something bad happened. She was starting to really like Ashley. Something about her was different than anyone else she'd known. But was this a good thing? What if she wasn't interested? She watched how Ashley acted around Tim, maybe they had something going on.

"Don't worry, they're just friends." Emily whispered having noticed the conflict on Spencer's face.

"Um, ok. I think I better go, it's getting pretty late." Spencer stood up and waved to those that weren't spectating the fictitious game then turned to Ashley.  
"I'll talk to you later Spence." Spencer immediately paused her game and handed the controller to someone else to finish the game.

Spencer and Ashley walked towards the door.  
"I hope you had fun, sorry if the video game thing was boring. I just couldn't drink anymore shots. Usually it's Trey and his brother playing Mario Kart or 007 or something. I hang out with nerds."

"Relax, it's fine, I had fun. I just need to get back I'm supposed to work tomorrow and I don't want to be in too bad of shape. I'll talk to you later though." Spencer quickly hugged Ashley before turning and walking back towards her dorm. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, things are slowly going to start getting interesting, this may be some kind of random filler chapter, or maybe not, you decide.**

* * *

The weekend passed without any contact from Spencer. Ashley was worried she'd thought her and her friends were boring. She wanted to talk to Aiden about it but knew that he would get upset that he wasn't invited to the party.

"Hey, you alright rockstar?" Emily walked into Ashley's room seeing her laying on her bed staring at the ceiling.

"Huh? Yeah, just, it's been a long day." Ashley didn't move.

"It's only 1 o'clock." Emily laughed. "Want to tell me what's really wrong?" Emily took a seat on Ashley's bed. Ashley contemplated telling Emily about her feelings for Spencer. What if she hated her afterwards? What if Emily wouldn't accept the fact that she might have feelings for another girl? She didn't even know what she was feeling, this wasn't just some silly alcohol induced feeling. This was more than curiosity getting the best of her.

"I just had a test this morning that I know I didn't do very well on." Emily sighed, knowing she was lying. "I know that sigh. I'm not lying, I really did have a test this morning." Ashley smiled, finally turning her head to look at her friend. "There's just a lot on my mind that I'm still trying to figure out. When I know what's going on I'll talk, that cool?" Emily smiled, nodding.

"Good. Do you have any more classes today?"

"No, my three o'clock class was cancelled or something." Emily eyed her suspiciously. "I'm not ditching, trust me if I was ditching I wouldn't be here where you'd see me." Ashley laughed, receiving a slap on the leg from Emily.

"Well I have to run to work in a bit. Just thought I'd see if you were alright in here. I'll be back later, make sure you eat something." Ashley was about to respond. "And please don't say half a bagel and a few M&Ms are a meal!" Emily scolded her on her way out of the room.

"They totally are a meal!" Ashley yelled back. She knew Emily was right, she really should eat something but with Spencer not talking to her, she didn't feel very hungry. She grabbed her laptop and went out into the living room hoping to be inspired to work on an English paper she had due in two weeks.

Her phone went off as soon as she'd sat down.

"Hey Aiden, what's going on?"

"Well, I'm out of class early and looking to get some lunch. I haven't seen you in a while so I figured I'd call and see if you wanted to grab something."

"Yeah, that's cool. Where do you want to go?" There was a knock on her door. "Hold on buddy, someone's at the door." She opened it to see a smiling Aiden.

"Well, you don't mess around! How'd you know I was home?"

"I saw Emily when I was walking, she said you were here so I just walked right over. This way you couldn't avoid me!" He smiled, proud of his plan. "Get some shoes on and let's go!"

Ashley figured she would get food and kill two birds with one stone. Appease Emily's request and see if she can get any information out of Aiden. As they walked to a nearby sandwich shop Aiden talked about his classes, work and some girl he had developed a crush on.

"That's pretty cool Aid, you should talk to her."

"Well, I still have a thing for Spencer and I don't want to mess any of that up."

"Spencer? Really? I thought you two were just friends now?"

"Yeah well. She's just really complicated. I probably shouldn't tell you what I'm about to tell you, but I'm guessing you might already know, or you will eventually..." He trailed off, lost in his thoughts.

"Okay... spill. I'm pretty confused here."

"Spencer is bi." Ashley couldn't help but smile. Maybe things could work out for them. That is, if she ever gets a chance to talk to her again.

"Well, that's cool."

"Can I ask you something though Ash?" Aiden looked at her, Ashley nodded, seeing something similar to fear in his eyes. "Do you like her? I mean LIKE her?"

Ashley stopped walking, she furrowed her eyebrows in thought and tried to not smile, opting to chew on her bottom lip.

"I don't know. We haven't talked much lately. She seems really cool though, and she's gorgeous. I'm not really sure what I feel." Ashley tried her best to breeze through the topic, hoping Aiden would let it be after her reply.

"I mean, are you gay?"

"I don't know. Maybe, but maybe I'm bi too. I'm not really into labels." Ashley shrugged, walking ahead of Aiden towards their destination. Luckily Aiden didn't push the topic any further and instead started talking about a new video game he had recently bought.

After lunch, Aiden had to go to another class and Ashley went over to hang out with Tim. When she reached the apartment complex she felt her phone buzz in her pocket.

**Spencer (2:58): Hey, I need to talk to you. Meet me at my dorms tonight at 8?**

* * *

After Spencer got off work on Saturday, her dad called telling her she had to come home and take care of Glen while him and Glen's mom went out. She had planned on spending time with Ashley, but knew she had no other choice and really wanted to see her little brother.

When Spencer arrived at her dad's place, she noticed the doors were locked and their car was gone. Sliding her key into the door she quietly entered the apartment and saw Glen sitting on his own personal chair watching spongebob cartoons.

"Glen, where's dad?" Glen ran from his seat, knocking his chair over and jumped into Spencer's arms.

"Gone. Mommy said I had to sit and watch spongebob 'til you got here. She said they would know if I didn't. I'm glad your here. I already seen these ones." He pouted. "Soooo boooorrrredah." Spencer couldn't help but laugh at his dramatics.

"Alright then buddy, let's do something fun shall we? Are you hungry?" Glen nodded his head wildly. "Mac and cheese or grilled cheese?"

"Mmm, 'pasghetti!" Glen's eyes widened with hope.

"No buddy. That wasn't an option. You know we can't have that unless dad is home, your mommy will get mad." Glen's eyes began to water and his chin trembled. "Don't cry little man. How about I make mac and cheese AND grilled cheese and we just have a big cheesy party!"

"YAAAYYYYY PARTY! PARTY! PARTY!" Glen began dancing around the living room. "And then we can play games and watch movies and- and- and-"

"Yes, but I also need to make sure you're asleep at a decent hour or I'll never be allowed over here again. So, come with me in the kitchen and help me unwrap the cheese slices." Spencer leaned down as her brother hopped onto her back. She galloped into the kitchen, Glen giggling loudly in her ear.

"Alright, Scooby doo or Spongebob noodles?" Spencer pulled out the boxes once the water started to boil on the stove.

"Scooby!"

"Good choice!"

After their dinner, and after Spencer managed to get all of the cheese off of Glen's face and hands, they decided to play Go Fish and watch A Bug's Life.

"One of these days I'm going to beat you in this game." Spencer shook her head as she lost the third game in a row.

"Nope. I'm lucky!" Glen said, holding his head up high and pounding his fist against chest.

"I guess so." Spencer looked at the clock, knowing she'd have to get Glen ready for bed soon and their sibling bonding moment would be over. "Well shorty," Glen started yelling, he knew what was coming next.

"I no want dis to be over. I want to stay up all night wif you. Party!" Glen was usually a fairly articulate kid until he was sad. "You stay, lock dem out." Glen demanded, standing up and stomping his foot.

"Baby bro, you know I can't do that. It'll be okay, when I get old enough I'll come rescue you. Until then you have to be a good boy like you promised you would be. Don't break a promise to me." Glen hung his head in defeat.

"Okay." He said sadly. "Come read me a story." He grabbed his sister's hand and dragged her into his bedroom.

"Go brush your teeth first monster man. I'll pull out some jammies for you and pick out a book. Deal?" Glen nodded and walked towards the bathroom.

Spencer sat on her brother's bed, she wanted to text Ashley, to explain why she hadn't talked to her all day but how could she explain the situation she was in with her family? What was she supposed to do about this, what if it was too much to handle? She thumbed through her contacts, about to call Ashley when Glen came back in.

"Jammie time! Story time!" He hopped on the bed next to Spencer.

"Alright, here's your jammies, and I decided you can pick out the book." Glen was changed and back at her side in seconds, crawling under his Toy Story blanket.

Spencer began reading the book to Glen, but never finished, he'd fallen asleep a few pages in. She pulled the covers tightly over him and kissed his blonde curls. She smiled at the innocence of her little brother, making a silent promise that she would do whatever she could to make sure he got whatever he wanted. Wiping a tear from her eye, she slowly crept out of his room just in time to hear her dad coming through the door.

"Hey dad. Paula." She acknowledged them, grabbing her jacket from a nearby chair.

"Hey baby girl. Thanks for coming over. You guys have fun?" Arthur wrapped his arms around her tightly, kissing the top of her head.

"Yeah, we made dinner, he kicked my butt in Go Fish and then I put him to bed."

"Well, that explains the mess in the kitchen!" Paula spoke, never truly greeting Spencer when she'd walked in.

"I was about to clean it up, you guys are home earlier than I expected." Spencer's voice was slightly shaky, she didn't want to upset Paula, knowing she had a temper and would most likely wake up Glen if things got out of hand.

"Don't worry Spency. I'll clean it up." She loved her father. He was always on her side when it came to matters between Paula. She thought her father was a saint for putting up with a woman like Paula. "You should probably get going though before she flips her lid." Spencer smiled appreciatively at her father, kissing him good bye and walking out without another word to Paula.

Sunday was spent locked in her dorm working on homework and listening to music. She refused to answer her phone or the knocking on her door. She needed to escape. What she really needed was to talk to Spencer, but wasn't sure how she was supposed to do that without scaring the girl off. She decided to get Aiden's advice and text him asking if he thought she'd freak out if she knew she was bi.

**BlockHead (9:30pm): I don't know. I wouldn't guess so. I can always find out for you if you want. I mean, I have no problem with it. :)**

Spencer told him not to worry about it that she would figure something out. She made sure to mention that she just didn't want to lose a friend and that Ashley seemed like she could become a really good friend.

"No need getting him all worked up thinking I like Ashley when I'm not really sure how she feels about me yet. Hopefully he's smart enough to not say anything to her." She said to herself. She spent the next hour finishing up a paper and crawled into bed. Between work, Glen and worrying about Ashley's reactions, her weekend had her worn out. 

* * *

"Hey Spence. I um, may have mentioned to Ashley that you're bi." Aiden caught up with Spencer before their afternoon class.

"What when?" She gripped his arm tightly, watching him wince a little.

"Um, like earlier today. We went out to lunch and it just came out. I just started talking and then I caught myself but Ashley already picked up on the fact that I wasn't finished. I'm really sorry."

"Whatever. What did she say?" Spencer was now very curious as they took their seats in class.

"Something like 'that's cool' or whatever. Then she said she's not into labels. I'm pretty sure she's bi like you though. This one time at a party I could swear I saw her staring at these girls who were making out, kind of envious of them or something." Aiden was very casual in his response, not knowing the feelings this story was stirring up in Spencer's stomach.

"Really? Well, maybe I should talk to her. See what the real story is." Spencer did her best to control her voice to not sound overly anxious. This was her in, her chance to finally get to figure out Ashley and see what, if anything, could happen between them. She looked over at Aiden, he had his face shoved in the school paper focused on the crossword puzzle, clearly not paying anymore attention to their conversation. Spencer slipped her phone out of her pocket and sent a quick text to Ashley. Within minutes her phone buzzed.

**Ash (3:01): Yeah, I want to talk to you too. I'll be there.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for the wait, I got a little distracted with a few things, namely my Glee fic Learning The Truth. So if you're into Glee, feel free to venture towards that one as well :)**

**Much love to my readers, reviewers (the few of you lol) and alert...ers haha **

**Disclaimer: no I don't know anything other than the story it is based upon. If I did own South, it wouldn't have ended after 3 seasons.**

* * *

Ashley played with the zipper on her jacket as she walked through the parking lot of her apartment complex. She wasn't sure why she was nervous but after not hearing from Spencer other than the text, she felt like this "talk" wasn't just a casual conversation.

Knowing what she knew about Spencer now, so many things were swimming around in her head. Did Aiden tell her that she knew? Would she be upset? Did Aiden tell her what she had said? What if she actually liked Aiden and she just wanted to make sure she knew that? What if Spencer actually liked her? The chill that Ashley was feeling when she'd first walked out the door was long gone. It felt as though her thoughts were creating an extra layer around her, the more she thought, the warmer she became.

She needed to get things cleared up fast before she passed out from the overwhelming heat she'd created. Ashley crossed the street, deciding to take a short cut behind the stadium, maneuvering around the half fence and nearly tripping over the uneven cement in the sidewalk that led to the small alleyway.

"That damn spot gets me every time!" She whispered into the night shaking her head at her clumsiness. She ran her fingers along the chain link fence, the vibrations numbing her fingers and seeming to numb her nerves as well.

Before she emerged from the other end she stopped to take a deep breath and shake out the last of the nerves she was feeling. Closing her eyes she walked up the hill towards Spencer's dorm.

* * *

Spencer pulled a hoodie over her head, fixing her hair when she felt the back of her hoodie loosen the messy bun she'd had. She contemplated grabbing her bowl, not sure if Ashley would be into her smoking habit but decided to take it one step at a time. She checked the clock on her desk. 7:56. Spencer looked out the window and saw the shadow of a girl walking out from the alley way behind the stadium, smiling when the streetlight partially lit the girl's face.

From her window she could see the girl looked nervous, her head was focused on the ground, her hands shoved into her pockets as she walked. Spencer felt a tug at her heart. She too was nervous, but she felt bad knowing that her vague text had made the other girl nervous as well.

Spencer grabbed her keys as she jogged out of her room, clumsily locking the door behind her and running for the stairs knowing the wait for the elevator would only slow her down.

* * *

Ashley walked past a group of students that were standing by a picnic table to the left of the doors and reached for the door as someone else was coming out.

"Hey!" Ashley looked up to see Spencer standing at the door she had reached out to open.

"Oh, hey!"

"I was thinking we could go talk in the little gazebo looking area on the other side. That cool?" Ashley nodded, turning around to follow Spencer. "So, how was your day?"

"Um, fine. I had a test this morning that I'm pretty sure I did a shitty job on and my other class got cancelled so, in a way, I guess it kind of evened out." Ashley laughed. "Although, I'm pretty sure Emily thinks I skipped class but, eh, whatever. Other than that, I went to lunch with Aiden because he basically showed up at my door WHILE he called me so I kind of had no choice." Spencer laughed and nodded knowing exactly what she was talking about. "He went to class after that and I went to hang out with Tim for a while and now here I am." She shrugged.

"Well, that sounds like a fairly good day. Sorry about your test though." Spencer paused, "and I'm sorry about this weekend, not talking to you or anything and basically bailing on the whole bowling thing. Things kind of got crazy after I got out of work Saturday. I don't want you to think I was purposely ignoring you."

"Oh it's cool." Ashley smiled trying to brush it off as nothing so Spencer wouldn't see that she actually had been worried. They reached the table area and Spencer sat down, resting her back against the table, her legs stretched outward while her elbows rested on the table behind her. Ashley mirrored her position but crossed her arms over her chest.

"So, um..." Spencer knew she would have to start this conversation. It was, after all, her decision to meet up here. She looked over and saw Ashley biting at her bottom lip, her right foot swinging back and forth at varying speeds. She took note that this seemed to be a nervous habit of the girl's. "I um, Aiden told me what he told you about me." She started. Ashley turned towards her but didn't say anything as she tucked one leg under her and leaned on her right arm. Spencer waited a beat before deciding to continue. "He also told me what you had said, I hope that's okay."

Ashley rolled her eyes, "of course he did," she laughed.

"So um..." Spencer sat up straighter, turning towards Ashley. "This sounds really silly and hopefully I'm not being too forward but, are you gay?" She winced at the sound of her own question, feeling kind of stupid for asking and hoping she wasn't going to scare off the other girl.

"Well, I'm not really into labels and I've never really thought about it but I guess so. It would kind of make sense." Ashley's voice was weak, nervous as she spoke towards the table top, avoiding Spencer's eyes.

"So, can I ask another question?" Spencer swung her leg over to straddle the bench and slid herself closer to Ashley but kept some distance so as not to make the girl uncomfortable.

"Yeah. Go ahead." Ashley nodded, smiling when she finally looked up to meet Spencer's eyes.

Spencer took a deep breath, closing her eyes, opening them as she exhaled with her question. "Do you like me?" Her head cocked to the side, eyebrows raised in a mix of hope and worry. She tried hard to keep her eyes focused on Ashley but ended up shifting her gaze towards her own fidgeting hands. "You don't have to answer that if you feel uncomfortable."

Ashley was frozen, her breath stopped as she replayed the question in her head, her head spun as she watched Spencer's head cock to the side in the most adorable way. She tried to so hard to get a response out but it seemed like her voice was betraying her. When Spencer's eyes shifted, her head seemed to finally clear. She watched the fidgeting hands of the girl in front of her and smiled.

Reaching out, she grabbed Spencer's hands in an attempt to still them.

"Yes. I do." She whispered. The response nearly taken off with the cold breeze that started blowing through the campus. Spencer's head slowly turned up, a small smile on her face.

"Good." Spencer nodded.

"Good? That's it?" Ashley laughed, incredulously. She'd expected something to the likes of _me too, _not a simple, _good_.

"Yeah. Good, because I was thinking we should go see a movie Thursday night. A few girls on my floor were wanting to see Final Destination 3 and I told Aiden about it but I'd really like it if you came with us." Spencer's voice was much calmer now. The knowledge that Ashley liked her seemed to calm the nerves she had been trying to suppress.

"Yeah. That sounds cool." Ashley smiled. "So, can I ask you a question now?" Spencer nodded, smiling in return.

"Are you really bi?" Spencer laughed silently to herself.

"I had a feeling you would ask that. I like your 'not into labels' mantra. I know what I told Aiden, but really I only told him that so I wouldn't hurt his feelings. I'm actually here because my girlfriend in high school and I decided to go to college together but, you know, things happen and we broke up." Ashley noticed the hurt hidden behind Spencer's eyes as she spoke about her ex. "After that is when I met Aiden. Things with him really shouldn't have happened but he's a great guy so I didn't want to completely destroy him."

"I see. So..." Ashley looked around her.

"You want to know if I like you now don't you?" Spencer smirked.

"Well, I'd like to think that since you invited me out here and didn't run away when I answered you that you don't _hate_ me." Ashley laughed, feeling her cheeks redden with sudden embarrassment.

"No, I definitely don't hate you. You seem cool, I'm just trying to figure you out. I can't get a good read on you yet."

"Is that- Is that bad?" Ashley shifted nervously in her seat.

"No. Not at all, actually, it's really intriguing." Spencer smiled, reaching her hand out to brush against Ashley's. "I just really want to get to know you better."

"Good." Ashley responded, mimicking Spencer's earlier response. Her nose crinkled as she smiled back.

Spencer asked how she'd met Aiden and why she had decided to come to school here. Ashley answered, her voice still very nervous as she spoke. She didn't know why Spencer made her so nervous. Sure, she had a tendency to be shy but this was something entirely different. Every time Spencer's hand would touch hers or hit her arm while she laughed, her breath would catch in her throat and she'd nearly choke. Spencer didn't talk much, whenever Ashley would ask her questions she'd avoid them and ask another question.

They talked for two hours, Spencer learned about the boys Ashley had made out with, laughed at her impressions of her roommate freshman year and was impressed that she had avoided getting into trouble when the boys she hung out with got busted for drinking freshman year.

Ashley found it started to get a little easier to talk after a while but when it was time to head back to their respective "homes" the nerves kicked back in full force.

"So, hopefully I'll see you soon? If not, then Thursday right?"

"Yes, to both." Ashley smiled, nodding her head quickly, a deep blush forming on her cheeks. She was about to turn and walk away when Spencer put her arms out for a hug. Ashley stepped forward and wrapped her arms quickly around Spencer being sure not to squeeze too tight but worried she might not be squeezing hard enough.

Spencer could feel the inner turmoil Ashley was having in their hug, she found it endearing. This girl was definitely something different and she wanted nothing more than to figure out what her story was. She could tell Ashley had walls up to protect herself and Spencer wanted to take it upon herself to break down some of those walls and find the true Ashley. The carefree Ashley that seemed to come out when she was full of alcohol and obviously much more relaxed. She knew it would take time but she figured this girl might be well worth the effort.

* * *

**I hope you liked this. Please let me know what you're thoughts are. It drives my motivation to keep this story going. Trust me when I say the "good times" are just around the corner.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey, I hope this chapter came in a timely fashion. **

***I do not own SON, just the story this is based upon***

* * *

***Thursday***

Ashley crashed in her room after her last class. She wanted to be awake enough for the movie tonight, and for anything else that may happen. She didn't want to be half asleep when hanging out with Spencer's floor-mates. She was determined to make a good impression.

She woke up two hours later when Emily knocked on her door.

"Hey are you going to be around tonight?"

"Nope. Going to a movie with Spence, Aiden and some girls on Spencer's floor. I'll probably be back late. Why?" Ashley sat up, rubbing her eyes and stretching, feeling her shoulders pop.

"Well, a couple of us were going to a house party at some friend of Trey's tonight, I think Tim was hoping you'd go." Ashley could tell she was leaving something out.

"And...?" She watched a blush form on Emily's cheeks. "You want to know if you'll have the apartment to yourself tonight incase this party is lame? Correct?" She laughed when Emily's eyes widened. "I'll drag it out as long as I can don't worry. I'll text you when I'm on my way and I'll go straight to my room." She smirked, throwing a pillow at Emily who just rolls her eyes and walks out.

Ashley walks to her closet to find clothes for the night. Her phone rings as she's pulling a t-shirt over her head, she grabs a button down off the hanger before grabbing her phone.

"Sup Aiden?" She sandwiches the phone between her head and shoulder, buttoning the shirt and turning to face the mirror on the back of her door.

_"So, do you want to come over here before the movie? I think Spencer and whoever else is coming are grabbing food at their dorm before we head out."_

"Yeah, that'd be cool. I haven't really eaten yet, food might be a good idea. Should I come to your place or meet you there?" Ashley puts the phone down on her desk so she can fix her hair.

"_Well, I think they're going in like twenty so, want to walk over here and we'll just head over there? I can meet you behind my building in that court area."_

"Yeah. Meet you there in ten?" Aiden agrees and hangs up.

Ashley grabs her wallet, shoves it in her back pocket and grabs her jacket on the way out of her room.

"Have fun Ash!" Emily yells from her room as a blur of dark hair whips past and out the door.

* * *

"So, you ready?" Ashley asks as she meets up with Aiden, nudging him with her shoulder.

"Honestly, no. That one girl on her floor annoys the crap out of me."

"Uh, you're gonna have to be more specific than that dude."

"The one that's like _really_ gay." Ashley chokes back a laugh, squeezing her eyes shut. "What? It's weird and she like hates me or something. She's always a bitch when I'm over there."

"Well, what the hell did you do?" Ashley looks to her side.

"Nothing! I've never said anything more than 'Hey how's it going' to her and she's just a _bitch_!" Ashley shakes her head as they reach the doors to Spencer's dorm.

"Well, suck it up bro cuz we're about to head into the lion's den!"

Ashley spots the group of girls standing in line in the food court and waves when Spencer spots them. Her stomach clenches a little but she takes a deep breath and shakes it off.

"Hey!" She beams, waving at the other girls, then turning her attention back to Spencer. "What time's the movie again?"

"Um, 7:15 I think." Spencer grabs her food but stays with Ashley while she waits for hers to be finished. "You, me, and J are taking Aiden's car, with Aid too of course and the others are meeting us there."

"Oh, why's that?"

"Well, they have papers to write or something so they need to be on a tight schedule. Pretty boring if you ask me." Spencer laughed, keeping her voice down so the girls didn't hear her. "Ready?" She asks as Ashley grabs her food and nods.

* * *

"Two for Final Destination 3." Ashley stops reaching for her wallet when she hears Spencer. "Here." Spencer hands her the ticket. "I figured since I asked you to come with us I'd buy." She shrugs and walks over to the arcade area to wait for everyone else. Ashley can hear Aiden grumbling behind her, she smiles and follows Spencer.

"What are you doing?" Ashley asks watching as Spencer puts quarters into the shooting game and starts precision shooting the "bad guys" on the screen.

"Well, the others aren't here yet so I figured I'd kill some time... killing video game guys."

"Sounds like a good idea. I'll be over there, racing then." Ashley walks to the other side of the arcade.

She's in the middle of a race when she sees Spencer walking towards her with something in her hand. As tempted as she is to turn, she keeps her eyes focused on the virtual road. When Spencer slips a necklace over her neck she veers off screen and loses the game.

"What-" She looks down to see a plastic dollar sign hanging from black string. "-is this?"

Spencer shrugs, smiling, "just don't say I never bought you bling." She winks, walking out of the arcade area. It's then that Ashley notices the group has gained a few people and Aiden looks like he is about ten seconds away from throwing punches. Spencer slides off of the driver seat and rushes to push Aiden away from the group.

"You okay?" She asks, tentatively.

"No, this fucking bitch over here is complaining and wanting to go home but the last bus that comes this way left about five minutes ago!"

"So..." Ashley hasn't caught on yet as to why Aiden looks like he's about to explode.

"So I'M the one that is going to have to take her home! I don't have time for this shit!" His hands are in fists at his side, his foot tapping and his ears are blood red. Ashley can feel the heated anger radiating off of him. She turns back and looks to Spencer, eyes pleading for help.

"Hey. Can you please just take them back? I'm sorry. You know the longer they stay here the more miserable you are going to be. If you leave now you'll be back before the movie starts, or at least make it for some of the previews." Aiden doesn't budge. "I'll owe you big time, please Aiden just take them back to the dorms." Aiden's eyes shift to Spencer's, holding her gaze for a moment before sighing and nodding.

"I'll be back, save me a spot if you guys go in before I get back. I'll text you when I'm on my way back." Spencer thanks him, hugging him quickly before going back to her friends to notify them of the plan.

"Behave yourself dude, you'll only piss her off if you do something stupid." Ashley doesn't have to specify who she's talking about, she knows how much Spencer means to him. She feels bad for having these feelings towards Spencer, knowing the history of the other two but for some reason she can't resist the pull she feels whenever she's around. Aiden nods, and walks out the door, the other girls following closely behind.

* * *

Aiden gets back just in time to catch the last preview. He takes the seat between Spencer and J, the only friend who decided to stay, and leans to remind Spencer of how much she owes him for what he just did. Ashley frowns at the closeness of their current moment and how Spencer is genuinely smiling back at him.

Then, as if the movie and previews knew the anguish she was feeling, the screen changed and highlighted Spencer's face in a way that nearly suffocated her. Her blue eyes glow in the dark, freckles Spencer never noticed before show themselves in this moment. As if the lighting was meant specifically for Ashley to notice these things. It's a brief moment though, Spencer turns her head back to face the screen and Ashley quickly shifts her eyes back.

_She's not very subtle if she thinks I couldn't feel her eyes on me while I talked to Aiden. And definitely not quick in her reaction time._ Spencer thinks, smiling to herself knowing she was getting a reaction out of the girl.

* * *

After the movie, J tells them to take her back first. She may live in the same place as Spencer but Spencer opts to stay in the car to take Ashley back.

They pull into Ashley's apartment complex and as she's about to get out Spencer gets out too.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Aiden asks. "I was hoping we could talk." Spencer rolls her eyes and looks to Ashley who is standing awkwardly next to the car.

"Um..." Spencer looks at Ashley, and even though they haven't known each other, she sees what Spencer's trying to ask.

"Apartment 317, knock on the window that's to the right of the door and I'll let you in." She whispers, giving her a weak smile before waving to Aiden and walking towards the stairs.

Five minutes later Ashley hears a soft knock on her window. She rushes from her room to get the door. Spencer stands awkwardly on the other side.

"Hi."

"Hey. Come in." Spencer follows Ashley to her room. "So what did Aiden want?"

"He wanted to hang out or something."

"And you are sitting here because..." Ashley's eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"I want to get to know you better and I'd rather hang out with you than him. I know him well enough to know he didn't want to _hang out_." Ashley suppresses a gag which causes Spencer to laugh.

"He must have been pissed." She's laughing too, amused that Aiden just got shafted.

"Yeah he didn't look too happy." Spencer smiles, "I don't care though. I'm glad I'm here instead." Ashley tries to fight the blush but knows she's failing miserably. Spencer finds it to be adorable watching Ashley's hands cover her cheeks, her eyes looking towards the ground. She slowly reaches for Ashley's hands, pulling them from her face. "You okay?" Ashley nods, turning her attention back to Spencer.

"I have to be honest, you make me nervous." Ashley's breath is shaky, her toes curl nervously since Spencer still has a hold on her hands.

"Try not to worry so much okay? If it helps you make me nervous too." Spencer lets go of Ashley's hands but keeps them resting on her legs. Spencer shifts next to Ashley. "You're really cute when you're nervous." Ashley laughs and tries to turn her head away but Spencer's hand is there to stop her. Their eyes lock for a moment.

Ashley's breath catches in her throat, her hands tighten in her lap as her eyes flick down to Spencer's lips, mesmerized as she watches her tongue slide across her lip. She breaks to look back into Spencer's eyes.

* * *

Spencer wants to kiss her so badly but she's afraid she'll scare her away. Ever since breaking up with Carmen, she's never let anyone close enough to affect her this way. Sure she messed around with Aiden, but it didn't mean anything. Ashley on the other hand, they haven't even done anything and she feels like this girl could easily be the death of her. In every good way possible.

She watches as Ashley's eyes lock on her lips, when Spencer licks her lips, so does Ashley. She feels Ashley's hands twitching in her lap. The longer she sits here, the more she wants to kiss her. To feel those lips on hers and those hands around her back, or maybe her shoulders or maybe she'll just grab Ashley's hands, either way she knows she wants to be closer. When Ashley's eyes meet hers again she knows it's now or never. But, being the respectful girl that she is, she has to hesitate.

"Ash...Can I kiss you?" It's faint, but she notices Ashley nod then glup and take in a breath. Both girls lick their lips, close their eyes and just feel.

Ashley feels one of Spencer's hands cup her cheek, her thumb caressing the soft skin while the other hand takes Ashley's, having to pry it away. Ashley keeps her eyes closed but smiles when she feels lips press against her own, lightly at first then again with a little more pressure.

If Ashley was questioning anything before, or thought she knew exactly what was going she was wrong. This moment solidifies everything. It's as if all of those boys she'd made out with never existed, the lips pressed so softly to hers were the only ones she ever wanted. Spencer slides her hand to the back of Ashley's neck, dragging her fingers slightly across, feeling the small baby hairs at the base of her neck before pulling back slightly and resting her forehead against Ashley's.

Neither girl says anything for what feels like hours. Spencer, knowing she's the reason for the change in the mood, gathers enough courage to speak first.

"You still okay?" The nervousness in her voice is evident and Ashley just smiles.

"Um, yeah. I'm good. Definitely good." It's a shy smile and still full of hesitation and slight fear but Spencer holds on to the smile hoping she'll have time to wipe away the rest over time.

"Good. Me too."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this. Let me know what you think. Please. I'm not one to beg, but if people don't tell me what they think then I really have no reason to write. I can see how many people read this, so I know 98% don't review ;)** **Pointing out typos or grammatical errors is acceptable too. I tend to miss things when I'm speed editing :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**I know it's probably a bit short but I felt terrible for not having updated and I didn't want to make you wait any longer. I'll try to get another one up soon. The next one should have a bit more Spashley goodness in it :)**

* * *

Ashley wakes up to the incessant beeping of her alarm. She rubs her eyes with one hand while the other reaches beside her to grab her phone and silence the beeping.

"MmmmmmmNo." She groans, flipping her head into her pillow. She knows now that her alarm has gone off, she won't be able to fall back to sleep. She slowly opens one eye and looks at her phone to see two unread texts.

**Spence** (1:35AM): _Hopefully this doesn't wake you. I just wanted to tell you again that I had a good night. :)_

She smiles, happy that it wasn't just some really great dream she had. She decides to wait until she's a bit more coherent to reply and flips to the next text.

**Tim** (12:48): _Too bad you weren't here tonight, I could've used a sane person in the mix of these crazies._

She texts back a quick apology and throws the covers off of her, hopping out of bed to start getting ready for class.

Spencer's phone beeps loudly from the table near her bed. Peeking an eye open she sees the clock reads 8:05AM.

"Ugghhh. Too damn early!" She rolls over, pulling her comforter over her head but when her phone beeps again she's tempted to throw her phone against the wall. She sighs, knowing it'll just keep beeping every ten minutes until she responds.

She rolls off the bed, throws her hair up with the hair tie she'd left on her wrist and grabs her phone, falling into her desk chair.

**Aiden **(8:05AM): _Hey, want to get coffee before class?_

Spencer rolls her eyes before texting him that she'd just woke up and wouldn't have time. Then sees that she still has one more unread message.

**Ash** (8:05AM): _Good morning! I had a good night too. Hopefully this doesn't wake YOU ;)_

Spencer smiles, suddenly very much awake with the energy that bursts through her veins. She knows Ashley is in class now and probably won't be able to text back but her thumbs are acting on their own accord and before she knows it there is a reply sending.

When she looks back at her clock she realizes she only has 30 minutes to get ready and get across campus to class.

"I should really get a bike or some rollerblades or something." She mumbles, making her way to the bathroom.

"Ow! Ow! Look at you hot stuff!" Spencer turns to see J walking towards her. "Late night last night eh?" J nudges Spencer as they walk into the bathroom.

"I don't know how you know these things." She laughs. "But it's not what you think."

"Oh please, I saw that look from a mile away. SOMETHING happened. Your eyes are brighter than I've seen them in quite a while." Spencer steps into the shower while J brushes her teeth and does her hair.

"Well..."

"Oooo what happened?"

"We kissed." Spencer mumbles, rising the shampoo from her hair.

J rips the curtain open. "WHAT!"

"J! What the fuck!" Spencer grabs for the curtain, closing it again.

"Oh whatever, it's nothing I've never seen before! You aren't exactly shy about how hot you are."

"That doesn't mean you can share this hotness to anyone else who might be in here."

Spencer steps from the shower, wrapping her towel tightly around her. "Anyway, I need to get to class."

Ashley is falling asleep in class when she feels a buzz in her pocket. She's glad it's a lecture and her teacher is blind as a bat. Sitting in the back of the lecture hall, she'd have no issue getting away with texting.

**Spencer** (8:10AM): _Morning. You didn't wake me, technically Aiden did. What's your class schedule like today. Want to grab lunch?_

She wonders why she hadn't heard or felt it earlier. Her class is nearly over now. As she's about to reply, another text comes in.

**Aiden **(10:32AM): _Hey. I was thinking of getting lunch. You in?_

She wonders if Aiden had texted Spencer too. What should she do if he didn't, and now both of them wanted to have lunch with her? She decides to go with her heart. Her newly filled heart. Once she packs up her things and follows the rest of her classmates out of the room, she hits the call button her phone.

_"Hellooo?" _Ashley smiles at the adorable greeting.

"Hey, still want to do lunch?"

_"Yes. Where would you like to go? How much time do you have?"_

"I'm actually done for the day. You?" She steps off the sidewalk not wanting to get in anyone's way while she figures out what her plans are.

_"Normally I have class right now but the teacher is giving us a "work day" for some paper we're supposed to write."_

"Well that's perfect. Aiden texted me too about lunch. Did he text you?"

_"Ugh, yeah. Well, he texted me for coffee this morning, when I turned him down he suggested lunch." _Ashley can practically hear Spencer's eyes roll with the annoyance in her voice.

"You _so_ don't want to do lunch with him do you?" She laughs.

_"No, not really."_

"You know the best thing about Aiden though?" She pauses, "if you play your cards right, he buys lunch."

_"Oh my god you're brilliant. I'll call him now. If he gets to pick he'll be more willing to buy. Meet me by his dorms, maybe we can make him drive too."_

"Alright, cool. Bye."

Turning on her heel she makes her way toward the dorm area, hoping that Aiden doesn't pick some really lame place for lunch. Like the creepy chinese restaurant by the railroad tracks or the McDonald's on campus that is always crowded this time of day. _At least he'll pay_ she thinks.

"I've gotta be honest, I expected the chinese place." Spencer thanks the waitress once her plate is in front of her and looks back at Aiden.

"ME too!" The girls laugh at Aiden's expense but he doesn't seem to mind. "I'm glad you picked Steak N Shake though. I've been craving a strawberry shake and grilled cheese for weeks!" Ashley dips the corner of her sandwich into her shake and shoves it into her mouth, smiling happily as she lets the sweet and salty flavors mix on her tongue.

"Why didn't you just go then?" Aiden asks, shoving a pile of fries into his mouth.

"Well I'm not going to come by myself!" She quirks and eyebrow at his suggestion.

"Why not? I do." Aiden tries to keep the fries from falling out of his mouth as he talks.

Spencer and Ashley look at each other then back to Aiden, "Exactly." They laugh.

"Sorry buddy, too easy," Spencer smiles. "Anyway, when do you work next?" She grabs Ashley's shake and takes a long sip as if it's a natural occurrence.

"Uh, tomorrow actually. Why?" He notices Ashley laugh at Spencer's motion, confused by their sudden closeness.

"Well, I was hoping I could borrow your car to run some errands out there. I can drop you off at work and pick you up after." Aiden thinks it over.

"Wait, what happened to _your _car?" He asks, realizing she'd just had it the other day.

"Made the mistake of lending it to a friend and she blew out the engine somehow." Spencer rolled her eyes, her teeth gritted as she shoved bread crust around on her plate.

"Damn. Well, I guess that would do it. Yeah, as long as I'm not late and you don't forget me." He smiles, his foot knocking into her leg.

Spencer shifts a little in her seat to try and get out of reach of his foot. "Just let me know when you work."

"Yeah, I think it's an evening shift, so maybe we could get lunch out there." Ashley fights the urge to roll her eyes at how desperate he sounds. She knows she doesn't have any claim over Spencer but after the kiss and everything, she can't help feeling like she wants to punch Aiden square in the face. She excuses herself to the restroom before she loses her control.

"Well, I'll have to see what my errands are and what I'm doing before hand. I have a lot to get done, hence the need for your car."

Spencer feels her phone buzz in her hand. **ASH Calling.**

"Hello?"

"_Hey, pretend you're talking to one of your friends. I'm going to come out of the bathroom and then I'm going to call you from under the table and you're going to pretend you need to get back for some reason and we can get the hell out of this weird situation with Aiden."_

Spencer laughs. "Yeah that sounds good, I'll talk to you later."

"Who was that?" His voice is hinted with jealous curiosity.

"Just J." She shrugs and stands when she sees Ashley coming back towards the table.

"So, how's it going?" Ashley asks as she sits down, slurping the rest of her shake.

"What'd J want?" Spencer knows he won't drop it unless she creates some kind of answer. "She just wanted to know if I would help her pick out something to wear to some party she's going to tonight." Spencer nudged Ashley's leg under the table.

"Oh that reminds me. My roommate's girlfriend is-" The ringing of Spencer's phone interrupts him. Both girls notice the eye roll he fails to hide.

"Hello? Hey dad! Uh, I'm actually out to lunch right now. Oh shit really? Yeah, just um... You know that I don't have my- Yeah okay I'll be there. Love you too." Spencer sighs and rests her head against her hand.

"What's wrong?" Ashley asks, doing her best to sound concerned when really she's thoroughly impressed by Spencer's quick acting skills.

"We have to go. My dad is on his way, something about having an emergency and needing me to watch Glen. Since I don't have a car this is the only time he can come get me." The three walk to the register and Aiden pays the bill while Spencer mouths _Thank you_ to Ashley.

"I can take you over there later if you need." Aiden offers, sticking his wallet back in his pocket.

"Dude, her dad is on the way, pretty sure it's covered." Ashley snaps.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Ashley takes a deep breath to attempt to calm herself as they climb into Aiden's car. "Hey! What's your deal?"

"Aid, just let it go." Spencer tries.

"No, I didn't fucking do anything and she snaps! I was trying to be nice so your dad didn't have to drive out here."

"Aiden please just let it go. She's right, my dad is already on his way here so it would only piss him off if I made him turn around."

"Well, do you wanna hang out until he gets here?" Ashley clenches her fists and fights the scream bubbling in her chest.

"No, I still have to help J quick and probably pack some clothes. I'm sure I'll be staying there tonight." Spencer turns up the volume on the radio to end the conversation.

When they pull into the gravel parking lot, Aiden is the first one out. He stomps past the girls, walking well ahead of them.

"Geez, do guys get PMS too?" Ashley jokes. Spencer just shakes her head and laughs, sighing when Aiden kicks up rocks, creating a cloud of dust they nearly choke on.

"I'm sorry about him." Spencer keeps her voice down, just in case Aiden can still hear them.

"Eh, it's fine. We've gotten into some pretty big fights before. I think him and I are very brother/sisterly; we butt heads like freakin' professionals."

They watch as Aiden turns around in front of the dorm areas and waits for them. He keeps his eyes on Spencer as they approach him.

"Well, I hope everything is alright. Call me if you need anything. Sorry for flipping out." He still doesn't acknowledge Ashley.

"It's cool. Thanks. I'll talk to you later." Aiden opens his arms for a hug which Spencer begrudgingly gives him. "Okay. Later Aid." He turns around and walks off. Ashley is about to open her mouth to yell something at him but Spencer grabs her hand quickly and pulls her down the sidewalk, out of view of Aiden. She drops her hand once Ashley is following her.

"That was some impressive lying you did back there."

"I'm not proud of it but sometimes when it comes to him he really doesn't give me much choice, you know?"

"yeah. So, what are you going to do instead, since your dad isn't ACTUALLY coming to get you." Ashley waits, hoping Spencer will want to hang out but not knowing how to suggest it. She doesn't want to feel like another Aiden.

"Well, Aiden is probably almost to his room which unfortunately means he'll be able to see us right now. So, how about I head up to my dorm, you head back to your apartment and I'll call you later, sound good?" Ashley nods, her smile wide across her face. Spencer steps forward to hug her. With their arms wrapped around each other, neither one wants to let go. Spencer turns her head to kiss Ashley's cheek. "Talk to you later."

Ashley has trouble finding words but manages to squeak out, "K. See ya." She waves, admittedly a bit awkward, and heads off into the direction of her apartment.

_This was one hell of a day and it's not nearly over yet! I swear Aiden is the biggest, clueless idiot on the planet. Obviously she doesn't like you dude! What a joke! He's so pathetic. That hug between them just looked so uncomfortable. Nothing like the hug Spencer and I had. Ugh... just standing there, being so close to her. Nothing else existed and she smelled so fucking good. If all I ever did was hug her I would be happy._


	13. Chapter 13

**A few things. Sorry this is short, and sorry it took a while to get updated. Beta-ing for 2 stories and slightly helping another while writing 2 of my own AND working... lots of distractions. But without further adieu...Ch 13.**

* * *

"Hey Ash, you want to hang out tonight?" Tim leans in the doorway of Ashley's room watching her sort through her clothes.

"Um.. I'm actually hanging out with Spencer tonight. I'm sorry buddy." She frowns when she sees his face fall. "But we need a movie night soon!" He smiles slightly and nods. "Awww, Timmy. Don't be sad." She walks over and wraps her arms around him, hugging him tight. "You're one of the best huggers EVER!" She says into his shoulder.

Tim laughs as he pulls away. "Yeah I was thinking of going professional but then I decided to go the way of the sub. Did I tell you I'm now an artist of sandwiches?" He beams.

Ashley high fives him, "Dude that's awesome! You know how I feel about sandwiches! So..."

"Yes, if you come in when we aren't busy your sandwiches will mysteriously not cost a dime."

"So I should bring pennies and nickels?" She nudges him with her shoulder before walking to her closet to grab a hoodie. "Also, can sandwiches mysteriously show up in my possession when you get home from work around dinner time... sometimes?" She smiles her biggest smile, batting her eyes.

Tim shakes his head and laughs as he walks away.

Ashley grabs her phone from her desk and heads out to the living room. "I'm guessing that's a maybe Tim?"

"What's a maybe?" Emily asks, peeking her head from the kitchen counter.

"Tim, sneaking me sandwiches when he gets off of work sometimes." Ashley walks into the kitchen, grabbing a few cucumber slices from the cutting board in front of Emily.

"Dammit Tim, you mean Trey and I aren't the only ones getting free delivery?" Emily yells.

"Wait, you already told THEM yes and you won't even answer ME? HOW RUDE!" Ashley crosses her arms tightly across her chest.

"Okay Stephanie Tanner." Emily rolls her eyes.

"No but seriously I have a serious question for you both." When she sees them both give her their attention, she takes a deep breath, biting her lip.

"Are you okay?" Tim asks, coming into the kitchen.

She lets out a heavy sigh,"what ever happened to predictability?" She looks to her friends, "the milk man, the paper boy, evening TV?" She purses her lips together, trying to fight the laughter bubbling up in her chest. She bursts when Emily pushes her away laughing. Emily and Tim both shake their heads and walk into the living room.

"You're something else Ash."

"When you're lost out there and you're all alone-" She continues loudly.

"The night is waiting to carry you hoooome." Tim jumps in.

"EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK!" The three yell, then finish off the tune, all laughing with tears falling down their cheeks.

"I love you guys." Ashley sighs, regaining her composure. "I think I've done my bit of entertaining for the day. I must go spread my entertainment to others." She grabs her hoodie that she'd set on the counter earlier and grabs her keys from the shelf near the door.

"Later rockstar!" Emily calls out. When the door closes Emily turns to Tim. "You like her don't you."

"Huh?"

"Ashley. You like her. You can tell me." Emily sits next to Tim on the couch.

"Yeah..." he hangs his head, leaning back into the cushions of the couch. "I don't know what to do though. I mean, hanging out with her is great, we get along really well, she likes the same music and movies, she's just amazing!"

Emily nods, "Yeah buddy, she's pretty cool. Do you want me to talk to her or something? Have you told her how you feel?" She doesn't want to bring up what she noticed that night between Ashley and Spencer. She hadn't seen them together since then, and Ashley was pretty drunk so she still doesn't know what to think. "Maybe you should tell her how you feel."

"But- but... That's scary!"

"So you'd rather have a crush on her and have her not know and next thing you know she's dating someone else?" Tim perks up at this, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"She's dating someone?" His voice raises as he sits up.

"Not that I know of. She hasn't said anything to me but I'm just saying, you might want to tell her before that _does_ happen." Emily pats his leg and stands up. "I'm going to go finish my salad really quick. I have class in like an hour and you have to work soon don't you?"

Tim looks at the clock hanging near the hallway to Emily's room. "Yeah," he sighs. "I should get downstairs and grab my stuff." He gets up slowly, shuffling his feet towards the door.

"Aww, cheer up Tim. You'll be alright. You're an awesome guy, even if it doesn't work out I'm sure you can still be really good friends. I'm rooting for ya buddy!" Tim smiles as he leaves.

_Shit. I should probably prepare Trey for a sad Tim whenever he actually gets up the guts to talk to Ashley. I may be rooting for him but I have a bad feeling this isn't going to go his way._

* * *

When Ashley enters Spencer's dorm, she feels her phone buzz in her pocket. Slipping it out to see who's calling, she quickly walks down the hallway towards the elevators. When the buzzing starts again she's stepping onto Spencer's floor.

"Fuck!" She groans, walking to Spencer's room, slipping in silently when she sees Ashley sitting at her desk with her headphones on, her head bobbing along to the music coming from her ipod. Ashley walks until she's standing right behind Spencer.

"Jesus Ash!" Spencer jerks in her seat when she sees Ashley's shadow loom over her. "Not cool!" Ashley laughs hysterically and backs away so Spencer can get out of her seat without "accidentally" hitting her with her chair.

"Well if you're going to be mean, I could always go hang out with Aiden. He called me _twice _since I stepped into this building!" She holds up two fingers to emphasize her point. "I, of course, didn't answer. Not in the mood to come up with a lie." Ashley hops up onto Spencer's bed.

"So.. what do you want to do?" Spencer smiles. Ashley watches her legs swing back and forth as they dangle from the bed. She wishes she could loft her bed like Spencer's. It seems like she has way more space to put things. "Yep. Still adorable when you're nervous." Spencer stands next to the bed, careful not to make Ashley more nervous than she already seems.

Ashley shakes her head, but still doesn't turn her eyes towards Spencer. "I'm not nervous. Just thinking." Spencer nudges her with her shoulder. "Okay, maybe a little bit." She pinches her fingers, leaving a small amount of space between them.

"Well then, let's do something to make you less nervous. Want to watch a movie? Drink? See what my friends down the hall are up to? I would suggest we go somewhere but, unfortunately Aiden is probably lurking around." Ashley laughs, relaxing a bit. Spencer grabs Ashley's hand and pulls her off the bed. "Come on, we're going to bug my friends, maybe they'll have some ideas."

* * *

"Dude, don't you ever get tired of chasing someone who clearly doesn't want you?" Aiden's roommate throws a pair of rolled up socks at him.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Aiden keeps his eyes on his TV screen, playing Madden takes serious concentration.

"Spencer. You've been after her for longest time and yet you aren't getting anything!"

"We hooked up a couple times."

"Yeah, like four months ago! You haven't gotten any since then, you're pathetic!" Aiden pauses his game and turns towards his roommate.

"You know what, fuck you. You're practically married to your girlfriend, that's fucking pathetic. She's got your balls locked up so tight it's not even funny."

"Whatever. I'm just saying, I saw her and that Ashley chick you used to hang around with a couple nights ago. Seems to me like you're losing your girl to another girl!" Aiden watches as his roommate leaves. He'd never thought about Spencer and Ashley like that. Sure he knows that both girls have some kind of interest in other girls, but they wouldn't be together... would they?

_Definitely going to have to figure that out. Maybe tomorrow when she takes me to work I can talk to her about it. Maybe after she picks me up we can fool around in my car like we did last time we hooked up. Until then, back to Madden._

* * *

**My next chapter will be longer and lots of Spashley I promise. Review please so I know people are still reading, hound/harass me if I don't update fast enough, I'm glee-southwriter on tumblr if anyone wants to bug me on that too :)**

***Much Love*  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey there. Sorry for the delay, I'm moving to Los Angeles tomorrow so I've been crazy busy trying to figure out what the heck I'm doing with my things. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'll try to get something up when things die down. Probably only a few chapters left of this, just so you all know :(**

***I own nothing even if I wish I did***

* * *

Spencer and Ashley sat leaning up against the couch in the lounge area of Spencer's dorm. It was decided they would pull one of the televisions into the lounge and just have a movie night for anyone who was interested. Of course, no one was aside from Spencer, Ashley and J but secretly Spencer liked it this way. Admittedly, she'd prefer it to be without J but she knew better that any opportunity that girl could get to rack up any blackmail points, she'd take it.

Earlier in the semester, J had gotten Spencer so drunk, she convinced her she was a super hero. A picture of Spencer, clad in a pair of white mesh basketball shorts with superman underwear over them, a black long sleeved under armor shirt and a towel safety pinned together to create a cape, sits secure on two external hard drives and in a random folder on her computer. Blackmail is J's favorite hobby, one Spencer is convinced she has perfected.

After the first movie Spencer decided to drag her comforter in. It wasn't necessarily cold in the lounge but something about watching movies NOT curled up under a blanket with a beautiful girl just seemed wrong.

"Hey." Spencer whispered as the opening credits of the second movie, Step Up, started to play. Ashley turned towards her, smiling when she felt Spencer's hand lace with hers underneath the blanket. Ashley slid her body closer to Spencer's and leaned her head against her shoulder. "Scoot down," Spencer reached behind her and grabbed a pillow from the couch, glaring when J's eyes met hers and she wiggled her eyebrows. She slides her body down, places the pillow behind her head and slides her arm underneath Ashley.

Ashley adjusts her body so she can lay her head on Spencer but still be able to see the movie.

"Is this okay?" Spencer asks, feeling how Ashley still hasn't found a comfortable position. Ashley adjusts one more time, having to scoot up a little bit and then nods against Spencer's chest. Spencer wants to ask again but stops when she feels Ashley's hand rest on her stomach and suddenly her words and even her breath escape her.

_Ugh. This girl is going to be the death of me, she's so incredible. Even though I can tell she's incredibly nervous she's acting as though she's fine. I wonder if she knows how transparent she is, or maybe I'm the only one who can pick up on the fact that she's playing with my shirt and her heart is beating hard against my side. Wait, is that my heart or hers? Maybe it's both. Come on Carlin, stay cool, you got this._

"Hey Spence?" Ashley turns her head up towards Spencer. "Are you still taking Aiden to work tomorrow?" Spencer groans and nods.

"Thanks for reminding me." She deadpans, making Ashley giggle at the obvious annoyance.

Ashley smiles, thankful that the room is dark enough to hide the blush. She's not sure what provoked her to ask, she just doesn't trust Aiden. He may be a typical blockheaded jock but he's had Spencer before, why wouldn't he have a better chance than she does. "Sorry. I just... "

"Will you two please stop talking, I'm trying to watch Channing Tatum get his dance on!" Ashley and Spencer mumble their apologies and focus on the movie.

By the end of Step Up, Ashley is half asleep on Spencer's chest and J has already been snoring for a good ten minutes. Spencer, however, is very much awake.

_What do I do about Aiden, how am I supposed to get him off my back without ruining our friendship? What about Ashley? This girl came out of nowhere and here I am with her sleeping on my shoulder. We aren't even dating but I feel like she's mine. _

"What's the word humming bird?" Spencer shakes her head, startled by Ashley's voice.

Spencer laughs, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "Humming bird? I thought you were sleeping." She feels Ashley's head shake against her shoulder.

"I was dozing in and out for a while."

"So.. humming bird? Why humming bird?" Ashley's hand slides up from Spencer's stomach, she lifts her head slightly so she can place her hand right above Spencer's heart.

"This is why." Spencer's heart, if it wasn't beating fast earlier, certainly picked up in pace as soon as Ashley's hand started moving upwards. "I've never felt anyone's heart beat so quickly before."

"Well, I mean, this movie just has me pumped up. Makes me want to dance."

Ashley sits up, smirking with a mischievous glint in her eye. "You can dance like them?" She bites her lip and looks Spencer up and down then slowly licks her lips.

"Uh... Well, I mean-"

"Fuck YEAH she can dance like them! Spence, show her your moves!" Spencer's eyes squeeze shut. _Of course J is awake right now, why wouldn't she be. This fucking girl can smell an opportunity from a mile away!_

"I'd prefer not to." Spencer forces a yawn, stretching her legs and arms out. "It's late, I'm tired, you've both been sleeping, it's just not exactly the right time for that sort of thing." She mentally crosses her fingers that this will work, but knowing J it won't be forgotten.

Ashley smiles at her attempt to avoid the demonstration. She assumed, with a body like Spencer's that something must keep her in shape, but wasn't sure what that would be. Sure, swimming would definitely keep her in shape, but it didn't sound like she'd been doing a lot of it lately, what with the swim team non existent and her only having one class that involved swimming.

"Hey. You don't have to, you're right it's pretty late. Maybe I should get going." Ashley starts to stand up but is pulled down by Spencer. "Okay, maybe I'm not going."

Spencer shrugs, "you can stay here if you want." She looks to J, trying to ask her to leave with her eyes. She smiles when J rolls her eyes and walks back to her room. "I'm going to be honest, I'm not sure what is going on and I know we just met but I really like you Ash."

Ashley swallows hard, her heart now feeling similar to Spencer's earlier. Her hands begin to fidget in her lap. "I um- I really like you too." To Spencer's surprise, Ashley starts laughing. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh but we sound like a bunch of grade schoolers. I feel like one of us should pass the other a note that says 'I like like you' or something." Spencer joins the laughter, agreeing that they certainly seem like a couple of kids and not the college aged young adults they're supposed to be.

"So... you'll stay tonight?" Spencer bites her lip, squinting her eyes hoping for affirmation.

"I would like to, but I can't. Tomorrow? Whenever you have to drop Aiden off at work, maybe we can do something. It'd be nice to do whatever and not have to worry about his dumb ass lurking in the shadows or acting weird." Spencer chuckles and leans forward to kiss Ashley's cheek.

"Tomorrow it is then." The girls stand up, Spencer grabs her DVD's as they walk out of the lounge. She'll deal with the TV later. "Will you be okay walking back to your apartment?"

Ashley nods, reaching out to push the button for the elevator. "So... I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yep. I'll call or text you when I get rid of Aiden. Then we can do whatever you'd like, so think of what you'd like to do, I'm up for anything." The doors open but neither girl moves towards it. Instead, Ashley steps forward and wraps her arms tight around Spencer.

"Good night Spence." _I want so badly to kiss her, but I'm refraining. I'm not sure if I should since we aren't dating. Even though we've kissed already, it just seems like an awkward situation right now. Sure, I've made out with boys with no care in the world but something about just doing that with Spencer seems wrong. Spencer deserves more, much more._

"Night Ash. Sleep tight." Spencer's heart stars racing again. _Should I kiss her? What would happen if I did? I know we've already kissed, but it just seems... I don't know.. awkward? Ashley deserves more than this, she isn't just some girl i can mess around with. Even if we weren't both friends with Aiden, and I would have to risk seeing her again if things didn't go properly, she's so much more than that._

Ashley hops into the elevator just before it closes, a quick wave to Spencer and she's gone. Inside the elevator Ashley paces back and forth, her bottom lip probably torn up from the force of her teeth grinding against it. She shoves her hands into her pockets as she steps off the elevator and her hands hit something solid, her ipod. With a sigh of relief, she sticks the earbuds into her ear and welcomes the chance to distract her mind from her racing thoughts. But when she hits play, she audibly groans when Staplegunned by The Spill Canvas comes on. This is too ironic and far too fitting for the situation, yet she can't change it. Her mind wills her hands to move and push the appropriate button but they don't, her body has other plans. Apparently tonight will be full of ironic torture of some kind.

* * *

Emily walks into Ashley's room a few minutes after she's gotten home. A soft knock on the door pulls Ashley's attention away from her computer where she was reading over an email from one of her friends back home.

"Hey Ash. Did you have a good night?" Ashley smiles, if the slight slur in Emily's voice wasn't enough to tip her off, the way she's standing, slightly leaned against the door frame, her feet clumsily crossing at the ankles, is evidence enough that it's been a successful night of drinking.

"I did yes. It appears you did too. I'm surprised you're back already. It's pretty early." Ashley sets her computer on the bed next to her and scoots over to create room for Emily to sit. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your tipsy presence tonight?"

Emily slumps down next to Ashley on the bed. "Welllllll... I've got a question." Ashley laughs and nods, allowing her to continue. "So... Tim."

"Yeah?"

"Do you... like him? I mean like... like like him?" Ashley laughs again, a little bit harder this time remembering her moment with Spencer earlier. "You know... laughing is mean."

"Oh! No no I mean yeah I know, but you asking me like that, just reminded me of a previous conversation I had tonight, sorry. Um... Well he's a cool guy. He's fun and smart and has a bad ass movie collection. We got along really well and have a LOT in common."

"But you don't like him like that." Ashley leans back from Emily's pointer finger which found a spot right in front of her face.

"I've never really thought about it I guess, to be honest."

"And what about Spencer?" Ashley leans back, surprised that Emily has been preceptive enough to pick up on something she's just now figuring out. "I may be drunk right now but I can tell by the way you seem surprised that I must have hit something."

"I um... I just don't know what would make you think anything about Spencer?" Emily leans forward, trying to give Ashley a very serious look but with the alcohol, it just makes her look like she has a headache while looking into semi-truck headlights. "Whoa, don't hurt yourself there Em." Ashley pushes Emily back a little to sit up more.

"Come clean miss Davies! Tim is a great guy and if you aren't into him you need to tell him or stop leading him on."

"I'm not doing anything, he's a great guy, I agree. He's one of my best friends! I don't know what is going on, honestly! Even with Spencer, I have a lot of things I'm trying to figure out."

Ashley looks up when she sees another body in her doorway, Trey. "Em's right Ash. Tim really likes you. He's been trying to work up the courage to ask you out for a while now."

"Oh...shit."

Trey walks over and sits next to Emily, pulling her slightly into his lap. "Yeah so, whatever is or isn't going on with Spencer, you need to figure out what you want with Tim and let him know."

Ashley takes a long breath and rubs the back of her neck; with a heavy sigh, she nods. "Okay. I can do that. Might not be able to do it tomorrow, I'm actually going to be hanging out with Spencer but afterwards I will." She turns to look at Trey, " I promise."

Trey gives a satisfied nod and pulls Emily up with him, "Come on babe, time for bed."

Emily looks at Ashley and wiggles her eyebrows as Trey pulls her from the room. "I love you Ash, no matter what you do... or who." She giggles. Ashley leans her head in her hands, trying to ignore the comments from her clearly drunk friend.

Ashley gets up and closes her door, stripping off her clothes to throw her pajamas on. Content to sleeping with dreams of tomorrow with Spencer, but the nagging feeling of talking to Tim is slightly tainting those dreams.

* * *

Aiden meets Spencer at his car the next afternoon. "Hey Spence. Everything cool with your dad or whatever?" Spencer blanks for a moment, nearly forgetting the lie she had told practically 24 hours prior. But she was Spencer Carlin, she knew how to lie to get out of sticky situations, the only benefit of living with Paula, learn to weasel your way out of anything.

Aiden started up the car and pulled out of the parking lot, waiting for Spencer to answer. "Eh, same ol' thing. Paula had to be somewhere and of course my dad had to go with her. I will say though, it was nice to sleep in. Helping J pick out an outfit was quite an exhausting experience, especially since I had to do it in a rush. Did you go to whatever your roommate's girlfriend had going?"

"No, wasn't really interested. I tried calling Ashley to see if she wanted to hang out but she never called back." Spencer turns her head to hide her smile and coughs to mask the snort of laughter that forces its way out. "You okay?"

"Yeah yeah. I'm good. Sorry to hear that Ash didn't call you back."

"Eh, it's whatever. She didn't say what she was going to do when you two were walking back? I know I kind of walked off quickly, sorry about that. I just had a bad day."

"No dude, you're good. She didn't say anything to me. Maybe she was hanging out with her roommates or something. It WAS Friday after all. From what I've heard that group likes to drink the second the weekend starts."

"Wait, you've met them?"

_Shit. Think Carlin, think. _"Um, yeah I stopped by last weekend for a little bit just to hang out, needed a change of pace." She sighs in relief when she sees Aiden nod.

"Yeah, they're a cool group of people. I'm not a fan of Tim though. He seems kind of like.. I don't know. I just don't like him. Love his DVD collection though, that dude has like every movie you could possibly think of!"

The rest of the car ride, Aiden and Spencer listened to music and talked about their classes. Spencer was glad when they got stuck behind a tractor and ended up not having any time to spare before Aiden had to be at work. Aiden on the other hand, slammed the door when he got out and stomped his way into the building, mumbling profanities under his breath.

_Now, should I run errands first or go pick up Ashley? Decisions Decisions...Errands first, then Ashley._ Spencer nods in agreement with her own thoughts and drives off to various stores.

After an hour and a half of shopping and running around, she decides to head back towards campus.

Picking up her phone, she dials Ashley's number, biting her lip anxiously cursing the annoying sound of the ringing.

"Helloooo."

"Hey Ash, I'm on my way back to campus, do you still want to hang out?"

"Of course! How much time do we have before we have to get Aiden? Or you have to? I guess I shouldn't assume I'd be coming with you." Spencer smiles at the nervous rambling, she's tempted to stop her, but at the same time loves how adorable this is. "I mean, we could see a movie or just hang out. If there's things to do out there we can do that..."

"Hey!" Ashley's rambling stops immediately. "I'm gonna let you go, it's kind of crazy on this road, I'll be at your apartment in about twenty minutes."

"Okay cool, see you then." Spencer tosses her phone into the cup holder, a bright smile on her face, her foot pressing the accelerator a bit harder. She looks around the car and happy with what she has planned for when she arrives at Ashley's.

* * *

Ashley's sitting in her living room watching a rerun of _Boy Meets World _when Spencer calls to tell her to come down to the parking lot. She quickly grabs her things, almost forgetting her keys in her haste to get out, and runs down the stairs to the parking lot when she sees where Spencer is parked.

When she opens the door, two red roses are placed on the seat.

"Wha-What's this?" She bends down to pick them up before sliding into the seat. Spencer's hand slipping between hers.

"I wanted to get you something. To kind of show you how I feel." Spencer's thumb drags against the top of Ashley's hand, tracing faint circles and lines.

Ashley can feel her hands shaking, her face flushing to an uncomfortable heat. "This is- Thank you." Spencer squeezes her hand but still doesn't drive off. "So... what are we doing?"

"Um.. Well, I wanted to talk to you about something." Ashley twists in her seat, not letting go of Spencer's hand, she nods for her to continue. "Well, like I told you last night, I really like you and if I'm understanding you correctly, you seem to feel the same way. So I was wondering if maybe you'd want to go out with me. As in, exclusively date or something."

Ashley's breath shakes, her chest constricts but at the same time feels like it's never been lighter. "I would like that, very much." Spencer pulls Ashley closer, and places her other hand behind Ashley's neck, her thumb stroking the skin of her jaw as their eyes lock. Both girls smile, gazes flicking between eyes and lips as they seem to be inching closer.

As lame is it sounds, Ashley can't help herself, "so this means you're my girlfriend?" Spencer nods and leans in to close the gap. Happy that her plan worked out as she imagined it.

Ashley's mind spins, feeling Spencer's lips slide against hers, Spencer's hands getting lost in the dark curls of Ashley's hair. It's everything she's ever wanted to feel with anyone. This is more than she could ever imagine having with someone and it's only a kiss. They pull away enough to rest their foreheads against each other, panting and smiling bright enough to light a cathedral.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that. Like, at all." Ashley laughs, her hand reaching up to intertwine with Spencer's on her neck, pulling it towards her and kissing the knuckles. "But I'm glad it did."

Spencer kisses her nose, enjoying the way it scrunches and causes Ashley's smile to change to something as adorable as a kitten chasing a ball of yarn. "How are you so impossibly cute?"

"Many years of practice." Ashley's matter-of-fact response reminds Spencer why she asked Ashley in the first place. She can crack jokes even in the most intense moments but it still makes her want her. "What are we doing now or is this as far as your plan went?"

Spencer leans back in her seat. "Well I was thinking we could get food if you want before we have to pick up the idiot."

"Sounds good to me, you just drive babe. I'm down for whatever." Ashley's eyes quickly dart to Spencer, her breath caught in her throat, wondering if the term of endearment was too soon or if Spencer was one of those people with an aversion to certain names. "Sorry."

Spencer shifts the car into gear and puts her hand on Ashley's leg, dragging her fingers along the tops of her jeans until she finds Ashley's fidgeting hands and pulls her left hand to the center console with hers. "Don't apologize, I like it. Now... we just need to figure out how to tell Aiden." Both girls groan at the mere thought of dealing with him but decide to ignore it and bask in the happiness of their newly formed relationship.

* * *

**I hope this tides you over for a while. Feel free to message me or find me on tumblr: .com**


	15. Chapter 15

**Sincerest apologies for the delay, it has been a bit hectic lately and writer's block has completely barricaded my brain for longer than usual. But I'm generating a few ideas so, hopefully this isn't too late and you all haven't given up on me. Thanks to all the reviewers, readers, alert..ers. Without you, this story would have been discarded a long time ago.**

* * *

Spencer and Ashley decide to just head back to the town where Aiden works so they don't have to rush to get him incase they lose track of time. There are plenty of nice restaurants to choose from but neither girl is very hungry. Their nerves are filling up their stomachs too much to really ingest anything substantial. Luckily for them, Jimmy John's is only a few blocks down from where Aiden works and there are a few clothing stores scattered between the two. They have nearly two and a half hours to kill, two and half hours to bask in their relationship before figuring out how to act around Aiden. Time that should be spent happily, is spent in a mixed state of bliss and annoyance. They know Aiden isn't going to receive the news very well, but what choice do they have, he's one of their closest friends.

"Do you think we should both tell him? Like together?" Ashley takes a sip of her sprite as she asks, her legs bouncing enough to make the table lightly shake.

"Um... Well... maybe I should?" She thinks about the possibility that Aiden would kidnap her, lock her up in his room and not let her leave until she takes it back. _This is Aiden, not some crazy serial stalker killer guy. He may be slightly irrational but he's not an idiot. I don't even think he'd know what to do if he even TRIED kidnapping someone. _She laughs at the scenario playing in her mind until she realizes Ashley is staring at her, looking very confused. "Sorry. Yeah, let me take care of it. I don't want him going off on you. I'd rather protect you, and I think I can let him down easier."

Ashley feigns hurt, "You think I wouldn't be able to let him down easy?" Spencer laughs and shakes her head. "You're probably right, he'd say something and I'd end up punching him or literally ripping his head off. He may be like a brother to me, but he's definitely one I would have no regrets knocking out a few times."

* * *

With a plan made and a few shopping bags in the backseat - Spencer just HAD to have a button down shirt she saw and Ashley spotted a really cute hoodie and hat at another store - Spencer pulls up to the curb in front of Aiden's work.

Spencer turns to Ashley as they wait. "Okay, so are you sure you're okay sitting in the back?"

"Yeah, it's fine. You were right in saying we should handle this NOT in an enclosed space. I think I can manage hanging out in the back seat for a little while." She smiles and squeezes Spencer's hand that is resting on her leg. Both girls catch a glimpse of a still frustrated Aiden coming out of the doors, his hands shoved in his pockets and his lips moving slightly as if he's muttering to himself.

Spencer sighs. "Well, shit. This should be interesting." They watch as Aiden's hands pull roughly from his pockets and he motions that he wants to drive. His steps stutter when both doors open and he closes his eyes briefly.

"Oh, hey Ash, I didn't realize you were coming too." Ashley just smiles as she slides into the back seat, the disdain in his voice is enough for her to know that her presence is just another thing for him to be grumpy about.

When Spencer walks past Aiden, he grabs her arm, stopping her before she can get past the tail light. He leans in close to her, "I thought just you were coming to get me. I've had a really stressful day and really was hoping to ... you know..." Aiden nods his head to the car in hopes that she gets the message that he wants to fool around.

Spencer pulls her arm from his grasp and steps back, "yeah well, we were hanging out and it got time to come get you so I told her to come with me. I figured since she's _your _friend too it'd be alright." She takes a step forward, keeping her voice down. "Besides, you know we called it quits on _that_ months ago." Spencer pushes past him and gets into the passenger seat with a heavy sigh.

Ashley leans up in her seat so her head is right next to Spencer's ear. "Everything okay?" She whispers quickly before Aiden gets in.

"I'll tell you later. Are you okay back there? Do you have enough room? I can move up." Spencer leans down to find the lever to move the seats but Ashley's quick and reaches out to pull her back into her seat.

"I have plenty of room, don't worry." She turns her attention to Aiden who is already in the car and speeding off through the parking lot. "Where we headed in such a hurry young sir? I'd prefer to not die if that's alright with you." Her hands are gripped on the headrest as he weaves through the lot and on to the street.

Aiden doesn't respond, he just plugs in his iPod, opens the sun roof and cranks up the music. Guitars, drums and "scream singing," as Ashley calls it, nearly deafen everyone. She's about one creepy scream away from flipping out on him when Spencer's right arm reaches back as she pretends to stretch. Her fingers glide up and down Ashley's arm, stopping for a moment to slip her fingers into Ashley's on the head rest.

Spencer "stretches" a few more times and Ashley leans forward to rest her head on the seat.

"Is it necessary for you to be all up in the front seat?" Aiden snaps, his head turning momentarily to look at her.

"Yes, because while you are driving with some kind of pent up bullshit, I'd like to keep my eyes on the road in case you don't see an on coming car or innocent animal in the road." Out of the corner of her eye she sees Spencer fight back a laugh.

"Um, Spencer is right here, I'm pretty sure she can see just fine if there is something in the fucking road."

"Actually Aiden, my vision at night absolutely sucks without my glasses, which you know I never remember to bring." Aiden opens his mouth, takes a deep breath, his jaw jutting out then clenches shut a heavy exhale signaling he's given up and choosing to ignore the situation. Or more likely, choosing not to argue with Spencer.

Ashley, seeing this as a small victory in survival, slips her arm between the seat and the door enough that she can trace patterns on Spencer's upper arm without being seen.

* * *

"So, am I dropping Ashley off or did my working interfere with your plans?" Ashley forces herself to bite her tongue but she nearly rips the cushion off the seat in her attempt to maintain control. Spencer, while she looks to be very calm has one hand fisted underneath her leg.

"Well, if you are going to be an ass about it you can just drop me off at Ashley's." Spencer spits.

"Whatever." He mumbles, turning down Ashley's street and into the parking lot of her apartment. "Have a good night, whatever you're doing. I'll just talk to you guys later I guess."

Once both girls have stepped from the car and grabbed their shopping bags, Aiden speeds off again, nearly taking out a drunk couple stumbling across the lot.

"I swear that boy is going to get himself killed one day if he keeps up this anger thing." Spencer shakes her head as they watch him, tires squealing, pull off onto the road. She sighs and closes her eyes for a moment to allow herself to calm down.

A few minutes pass as the girls force themselves to ignore the last 45 minutes. "So, want to come hang out at my place? It's eleven on a Saturday so I'm pretty sure the rest of the crew are down at the guys' apartment." Ashley rocks on the balls of her feet, her hands twisting the handles of the bag, as she waits for Spencer's response. They may be girlfriends now but that doesn't necessarily mean Spencer has to hang out with her all of the time now. "I mean.. we can go back to your place if you want, too. It's fine either way it's just-"

Spencer wraps her arms around Ashley, hugs her tight and kisses her cheek. Their bodies both relaxing significantly in the embrace. "Let's go baby cakes!" She steps back and kicks out her leg to hit Ashley in the butt as they turn to take the stairs up to the apartment.

"Baby cakes? Interesting." Ashley laughs as she digs into her pocket for her keys. Spencer smiles at her, bopping her head around to a song in her head. "I'm not even going to ask what's going on in that head of yours."

"It's a song, I said baby cakes and there's a song. The music video is awfully provocative, but I lived in Europe when I was younger for a little bit. The band is from the UK I think. One of my friends out there sent it to me years ago. It's pretty catchy actually." Ashley raises an eyebrow and slowly nods, trying to figure out if her girlfriend is actually missing a few screws in her head. "Nevermind, let's go take over your living room."

* * *

Emily walks in, a bit fuzzy from her five fuzzy navel drinks, but coherent enough to notice two bodies on the couch curled into each other under a blanket and the title screen of a movie replaying on the TV. _Well, I guess the situation with Spencer is settled. I guess this means no good news for Tim but I'm almost positive she hasn't told him yet considering I heard him talking to Trey about his plan to ask her out._ She leans against the wall near her bedroom and watches the girls for a moment, debating on whether to wake them up or leave them be for now. She doesn't want to risk embarrassing her friend, but if they don't wake up before morning they're going to have a lot of explaining to do when their other roommates come home, or if any of the guys show up. Opting for a more neutral wake up call, she steps into the bathroom and closes the door hard behind her.

Ashley's body jerks from the sound, her head hitting something hard, followed by a painful groan from above her. She leans back to sit up straight and watches Spencer rub her jaw, her face scrunched in both pain and post-wake up confusion.

"You have the hardest head in the world Ash. I think you broke my jaw!" Ashley laughs at the exaggeration and leans forward, pulling Spencer's hand from her jaw and places her lips gently on the spot Spencer had been rubbing. She pulls back when she hears the sound of running water from across the hall.

"Well, no wonder I woke up, Emily must have come home. Want to head to bed?" She leans forward to grab the remotes and shuts off the dvd player and TV, encasing the room in complete darkness except for the small amount of moonlight sneaking through the blinds they'd forgotten to close across the patio door. She starts to get up but is pulled back down by Spencer.

Even in the darkness Ashley can see the apprehension on Spencer's face. The downcast eyes, the way her teeth pull at her lip then let go and repeat the motion over and over. She feels Spencer's fingers trace nervously over her knuckles. "Does she know about us? I know you said you weren't really out to anyone yet and we_ just_ started dating. Does she know?"

"I think she does. Or at the very least has a pretty good idea, Trey too. They kind of cornered me last night and asked me what was going on with you." She pauses, wondering if she should also tell her about Tim.

"You aren't telling me something, I can see it on your face."

"Well... you aren't the only one they were asking about." She takes a deep breath, preparing herself to continue. "Apparently Tim has liked me for, well, probably since we met. I kind of knew that, or assumed at least but, according to Trey he's been trying to figure out how to ask me out. So, I just...haven't really told _him_ about you yet and apparently I should have, or definitely should now." Spencer nods but doesn't say anything. "Are you mad? I planned on telling him about it, and then you asked me out, and everything just happened and..."

"It's okay. I'm not mad, just kind of processing things a bit I guess. To be honest I had a feeling he liked you too but you hadn't really said much about him other than him being one of your closest guy friends so I just figured you two had a close friendship. You really should talk to him though and maybe I should leave tonight. I don't want to cause trouble." Spencer stands up before Ashley can stop her but not fast enough for Ashley to wrap her arms tight around her once she stands.

Ashley turns her around so they are facing each other, her hands grip at Spencer's waist, the shirt bunched under her fingers. "You don't have to leave, it's fine. Like I said, Emily knows there is something going on, and chances are she saw us when she came home, drunk or not she probably saw us on the couch. Come on, it'll be fine, just come to my room and I swear I'll tell them everything tomorrow."

Spencer considers her options, she doesn't _want_ to leave, but she's never been good in sticky situations, and this is definitely one of those or will be soon if things don't get settled. More so, she wants to talk this out, there seems to be a lot that's been left unsaid between them.

"Okay, let's go to your room. I need to know some things but you have to understand that me leaving might be for the best until you get this all sorted out, okay?" Ashley nods and leads her to her room.

Emily, having heard most of the conversation from behind the bathroom door, comes out just as Ashley's door closes.

* * *

"I'm telling you Trey, they're for sure together and Tim has no idea yet. Apparently it like _just_ happened. If Tim is serious about asking her out tonight, we have to do something!" Emily is pacing her room the next morning, Trey is laying on the bed, his hands folded behind his head as he watches his girlfriend move about the room. She picks up things from her dresser, paces a few times as she examines it and then sets it down to pick up another object and repeat the action.

"No, babe, _we_ don't have to do anything. This is on Ashley." He gets up from the bed and steps into his girlfriend's path, pulling her chin up so he can look her directly into her eyes. "She may not have known her and Spencer were going to get together but I'm sure she knew that anything with Tim wasn't going to happen and she should've told him that. You said it yourself, she told Spencer last night that she knew Tim had a thing for her. She easily could've cut that off a long time ago, but for whatever reason, she didn't." He shrugs, his hands still grasping her shoulders to keep her in place which is only causing her to bounce up and down.

"You really want your friend to be humiliated and heart broken? That's okay with you? I'm sorry but I really don't want to see Tim be broken because no one gave him a heads up."

"Emily, it's not our job. He's a big boy, he can handle it. Leave it to Ashley, she said she'd take care of it and we need to trust that she'll do that, you know that. You said the same thing to me the other day after we'd told her about Tim's plan. Although, you were pretty drunk so maybe you don't remember." He laughs and leans down to kiss her, hoping to calm her racing nerves. "Come on, let's just go out there and make breakfast. No one was up when I came in but, maybe they're already up or Spencer didn't stay. Either way we are going to have to deal with this." Emily pouts but nods knowing he's right. She trusts Ashley to do the right thing, but she's known Tim since freshman year and the inherent need to protect him is stronger.

When they walk into the living room, Ashley is wrapped in a blanket bent over a bowl of lucky charms and there is no sign of Spencer anywhere in the apartment. She looks up at them after shoving a spoonful of cereal into her mouth and chipmunk smiles at them, waving with her spoon. Emily grimaces as she watches a few drops of milk splatter on the glass coffee table.

"Morning Ash!" Trey smiles, and takes a seat in a nearby chair, pulling Emily onto his legs. "How was your night last night? You didn't stop by, missed one hell of a party though." Emily rolls her eyes and shakes her head mouthing _no you didn't_ to Ashley.

Ashley laughs when Trey nudges Emily, having caught the "secret" message. "It was alright, I got a new hat and hoodie which was pretty nice and learned once again why you guys didn't like Aiden when you met him." She rolls her eyes and shakes her head, trying to forget that particular part of the night.

"And Spencer? I thought I saw another person here last night when I got home or was I really just that drunk that I saw doubles?" Emily notices Ashley smile at the mention of Spencer and how she suddenly becomes nervous. Ashley twirls her spoon around her cereal, eyes focused on the way the left over marshmallows dissolve and create a colorful trail that mixes with the already dyed milk.

"She was here, we watched a few movies, and fell asleep which is probably when you got home. We talked in my room for a bit but she left last night after that so, yeah. I'm sure I'll talk to her later today." Ashley clears her throat and shakes her head before spooning some more cereal into her mouth. Emily watches her, curious to the shift in mood and obvious aversion to the real question.

Taking the lead, and not at all enjoying the uncomfortable silence, Trey decides to speak up. "Are you two okay? I don't know much about her, but you've been hanging out with her a lot so I assume she's a good friend of yours." Ashley sets the bowl down on the table and runs her hands through her hair. She places her hands behind her neck, massaging the muscles for a moment before sitting back into the couch and looking at her two friends.

"We, Spencer and I, are dating, as of yesterday." Trey nods and Emily fights back a wide smile, failing when she see Ashley trying to do the same. She wants nothing more than to jump on Ashley and hug her, ask for details on what happened but the more important thing nagging at her is why Spencer isn't here, and why Ashley doesn't look as happy as she should be. "I know I am supposed to talk to Tim about this and I hope you guys aren't mad at me. I didn't expect any of this to happen so quickly but one minute I'm going with her to hang out before picking up Aiden and the next thing I know I'm looking at two red roses and Spencer is telling me she wants to be with me." Ashley takes a much needed deep breath, her head spins from the pouring out of her worries and explanations. She manages to focus on her friends again, one eye closes and her face scrunches as she braces herself for any backlash that may come her way. She expected an outburst from Trey at least, but neither of them move.

Then, as if someone shot the gun at the start of a race, Emily leaps forward and tackles Ashley into the couch. "I'm soooooo happy for you. This is really cute. I knew something was going on. Oh my gosh I have so many questions now. Are you gay or just bi or what exactly? This is probably completely inappropriate isn't it? I'm sorry, I just didn't know how to approach the topic before, you never really talked about relationships, and you seemed to get along really well with Tim, and when you brought over Aiden I thought maybe something but when you brought Spencer it just seemed so much different and..." Emily finally sits up off of Ashley and helps pull her from the corner of the cushions she'd pushed her into. "Sorry, I'll calm down now. Why did Spencer leave?"

"Maybe you should come back over here Em, I don't know if Ashley wants to risk being smothered again." Trey smiles apologetically on Emily's behalf.

"No, no I'm good, I'll be good I swear. Besides, your knees are bony, I don't know how I manage to sit on them every weekend. I guess the alcohol makes you more comfortable." She winks, Ashley laughs heartily, enjoying the momentary break in the interrogation. Emily turns back to Ashley, who's laughing halts immediately. "Oh don't think I've forgotten about you missy. I still want answers!" She wiggles her finger in front of Ashley's grimacing face.

Ashley pulls her legs underneath her and gets comfortable. Taking a few deep breaths, and receiving a few encouraging looks from both Emily and Trey, she starts in on answer the questions. When she realized she might have feelings for girls, the way she felt when she first saw Spencer, how tricky it is that they have a history with Aiden and how much of a jerk he's been lately, what happened the night they first kissed. And most importantly how she doesn't know what she is, just that she really likes Spencer and knows that it will be something she's never experienced before. While she talks she makes note of the reactions from both Emily and Trey. The way Trey's eye brow quirks up when she talks about Aiden, the fire in his eyes that signals he may have a strong word with Aiden if anything were to happen to either of them. Emily, who sits, a large smile on her face, nodding fiercely with each detail and clapping during the "cute" moments. Her hands pressed together come up to her mouth between claps like that is where they are naturally supposed to rest. Ashley during all of this, talks without breaks, just starts rambling but inside worries that she may be saying too much, that she may end up saying something that will give them a bad impression of her or Spencer. When she's finally finished she deflates into the cushions, suddenly exhausted again. She's never been one for talking about feelings and personal topics and this was an overload of all of it.

"Well, alright then." Emily slaps her legs and stands up. "This solidifies it, you are going downstairs right now and talking to Tim."

Ashley's head snaps up, "WHAT?!"

Emily nods and points towards the door. "Right now. It needs to be done. You are with Spencer and it isn't fair to either of them. I don't know what you and Spencer talked about last night or even why she left, you seem to have avoided that one, but you have to be smart enough to know that sitting here, being in a relationship when you _know_ that someone else is hoping for the same with you isn't the smart thing."

* * *

_Ashley sits down on her bed, scooting back to lean against the wall and waits for Spencer to do the same but instead watches as she takes the chair from the desk and sits down. Her heart drops and her stomach knots, knowing this conversation isn't going to be a pleasant one.  
_

_"I don't want to play games so I'm just going to get right down to it. Do you or did you like Tim prior to meeting me?"_

_Ashley, shocked by the immediate question, stumbles for a response. "I-I I don't think so. I don't know." She sighs. "He is a great guy and someone that I really like hanging out with. I mean maybe when I first met him I may have thought about it, but that was before I realized I might like girls." Ashley looks to Spencer, hoping for some kind of mercy but all she does is nod. "He's one of my best guy friends, that's all it's ever really been."_

_"Are you sure you want to be with me? I don't want you to make a decision about us unless you are sure it's what you want. I understand the crazy emotions that come from realizing your feelings for another girl. If you aren't ready, it's okay. I mean, you said no one really knows anyway so.."_

_"NO! I want to be with you." Ashley slides to the edge of the bed in front of Spencer. She grabs her hands and locks eyes with the most beautiful mix of blue and gray she's ever seen. Another amazing thing about Spencer, her eyes change with her emotions and Ashley just can't get enough of it. "Ever since I first saw you I knew something had to happen between us. Sure, the timing is a bit quick to my realization but that doesn't matter. I'll tell them tomorrow, if they don't already pounce in the morning. I will say it may take some time to tell my parents though. They aren't exactly living in a rainbow flag friendly town so I don't know how they'd really feel about it."_

_"Okay."_

_Ashley's eyes twist in confusion. "That's it? Okay?"_

_Spencer nods, "yeah, okay. You need to tell your roommates and the rest of those guys first though. I'm not going to come over if they don't know or if they have a problem with me. I don't want to cause drama for you."_

_"Spence, you aren't going to cause drama. I'll tell them okay? If anyone has issues well... forget them." She tries to smile but the less than hopeful look on Spencer's face keeps her lips from turning anything but downward so she just hangs her head, still holding on to Spencer's hands._

_"Ash, these are your roommates, you still have to live with them." Spencer pulls a hand away to brush through Ashley's hair, trying to coax her into looking at her but is unsuccessful. "I'm not going to put you in a shitty situation just because I have feelings for you. You're still adjusting, the world isn't exactly the nicest place for people like us. I'm going to go back to my dorm. I'll call you tomorrow okay?" The reaction Spencer wanted earlier finally happens when Ashley snaps up, her eyes searching Spencer's for any sign of hesitance in her decision. "Babe, I promise I'll call you tomorrow. I just want you to have time to work this out on your own. If things get rough or you can't do it, just call me and you can come over and we'll hang out, but I want you to at least try to talk to them okay? Can you please promise me that?" Ashley sighs dejectedly and nods a weak agreement coming from her lips._

_"If you call and I don't answer, you better come rushing over assuming I'm like passed out from panic or something though. I may have a heart attack." Spencer smiles, enjoying the over exaggeration of her girlfriend. "I'm serious Spence! Come running!" They smile and stand, wrapping their arms around each other. Ashley inhales and her eyes flutter closed at the smell of Spencer's perfume. She makes a mental note to steal one of Spencer's shirts or hoodies next time she's at the girl's dorm. Spencer's arms are tight around Ashley. She doesn't want to leave but knows that she also has someone to needs to know about them, and she's still unsure how she's going to go about telling him. She runs her fingers over Ashley's back, the soft fabric of her shirt and the tensing muscles wherever her hands travel sent a jolt to her stomach. She's completely and utterly hooked on this girl. Even if she wanted to give Ashley space, she couldn't. With a strong will to do the right thing she pulls back and places a few kisses against Ashley's lips, being sure to not get too caught up in the sparks flying between them._

_"Good night Ash. Sweet dreams." With one final kiss to Ashley's forehead she turns to walk out the door. _

_Ashley grabs her hand and walks with her to the front door. "It just seemed silly for you to leave from my bedroom. And I also just wanted one more kiss." Ashley leans up quickly, pressing her lips hard against Spencer's then steps back and opens the door. "Don't forget to call me."_

_Spencer smiles as she walks out of the door. "I won't be able to go a whole day not hearing your voice, trust me, I'll call." She winks and turns down the stairs._

* * *

Ashley smiles at the memory and realizes that her friends, and Spencer, are right, this is already too big for her to not deal with the outside factors. "Yeah, you're right. I'm going to shower quick and try to figure out how I'm going to tell him all of this in the least heart-breaking way possible. Can I at least do that or do you really want me to go downstairs in my boxers and tank top to tell him I can't date him."

"Good point." Emily concedes. "We will be downstairs, you have thirty minutes starting NOW before I come back up here or send Tim up here so you can't escape." Ashley swallows at Emily stern words and expression, she feels like she's being scolded by her mother for not cleaning her room. "Oh," her face softens, "I really am happy for you. She seems like a good person." Emily and Trey head for the door, as it opens Emily turns back towards Ashley. "See you in twenty-nine minutes." She giggles when Emily scrambles to her feet and rips her towel from its hanger on her door and dives into the bathroom.

"Pure evil woman, but I love you. I hope Tim takes it well or I'm going to be completely hung over tomorrow for my 8 am journalism class. Damn bro code not letting me just leave him to drinking his sorrows on his own!"

* * *

**I hope this was good for you guys, Aiden and Tim situations will be dealt in the next chapter. I have a few problematic ideas coming up for the girls, but not sure how much longer I'm going to keep this story going. I don't want to end it unfinished but I don't want it to start getting out of hand and too exhausting for you all to read. ( I hate when stories do that) Either way please give me your thoughts. my twitter is southyankee my tumblr is glee-southwriter bother me on that too if you'd like. Thanks and much love to you all.**


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